Secrets
by Rubiksmaniac
Summary: Beca and Chloe are best friends. They have known each other for 5 years. Ever since they met, they have been inserperable... almost. They still have their secrets. After an emergency while Beca is sleeping over at Chloe's house, they start to catch on to each other's secrets. Chapters change POV. Odd for Beca, even for Chloe. My first FanFic! I do not own Pitch Perfect.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! Some of you Pitch Perfect fans with stories may hear from me a lot, but this is my first time publishing a story! How exciting. I'm usually the person that reads the FanFiction, but now it's time for me to write and post my frist one. Isn't that exciting?! Okay, well this story is going to be in 2 different POVs. Odd for Beca, even for Chloe. I will put a POV tag in each chapter just to remind you. OH! And italics are thoughts. I'm not an expert on any conditions talked about here. I looked it up a little bit, but it might not be totally accurate. This was originally a story I wrote, so if there was a name I forgot to change, just tell me. I hope you enjoy my first story. Please leave feedback, whether good or bad! Thanks!**

Chapter 1-Beca POV

*ring ring* It's 6:30 and my alarm clock wakes me up. _Last day of school!_ I think to myself. Just one more day until summer, one more day I have to deal with all the jerks at school, one more day until I am free for 2 months to do whatever I want to do.

I swing my legs over my bed, put on my orthosis, and then go over to my sink to get ready. I brush my teeth, pick out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to wear, and head out to meet my best friend Chloe, my only friend, at the bus stop. As usual, she is being her girly self with a short pink dress on and a purse with all her makeup in it on her arm. I don't know why she carries that around all the time, it must weigh a ton! I tap her on the shoulder to let her know that I'm here. Chloe is at least 4 inches taller than me. She's not super tall, but she's taller than the majority of our class.

"Seriously, Beca!?" She says to me." It's the last day of school! Wear some shorts for a change!" I reply right back with, "You're the one to talk! You have that backpack full of makeup and it's only a half day! What's going to happen? A boy will walk up to you and point out that you have a little pimple under your nose?" As I say this I point to a little spot under her nose. She rummages through her bag and pulls out a compact mirror, looking for something that is not there. "You're so paranoid!" I tell her while I laugh. She just sticks her tongue out at me and then points towards the bus, signaling me to go on first. After that, it's just a normal day.

Finally, the bell rings, signaling that it's summer. I wait at the spot where Chloe and I meet up to get on the bus. After waiting for what seems like hours, I finally spot her in the hallway and we walk out to the bus stop together.

After we both get settled on the bus Chloe checks her makeup, again, and we start a conversation for our 30 minute ride home. After we talk about what we plan on doing this summer she starts to stare into space. I know that face, she's thinking. She does this a lot, but I don't know why.

I let her sit like that for a while, and then I get lonely and finally wave my hand in front of her face and say "Hello, Earth to Chloe!" She snaps back to reality and I say to her, "Welcome back! What were you thinking about, girly?" All she says is "Oh…nothing." Weird, but she's friends with me, which is considered really weird, so I don't really think about it. She then invites me over to her house for a celebratory movie night, yuck. We plan on meeting up at 7, so that means I have time to take a shower, and maybe even get some candy we can eat while we watch the movies. It's only 1 o'clock now, so I have 5 hours and 45 minutes to do what I please. I'm an early bird kind of person.

The first thing I decide to do is take a shower. I take off my clothes, including my orthosis, and plug my iPod into my speaker. I jam out to "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake. My mom tells me I have a good voice, but I don't like to sing otherwise. I really don't like the spotlight on me. Chloe, on the other hand, loves it. There is not enough time in the day for that girl! She's the total opposite of me. She is a social butterfly while I'm just socially awkward.

I don't like people getting close to me; I don't like telling people what happened to me. I have to wear an AFO (an Ankle-Foot Orthosis) because of the nerve damage to my right foot. I pretty much can't walk without it. Not even Chloe knows about it. The only people who know are my mom, dad, sister, and the teachers at school. My sister is at an out-of-state college, so I don't have to worry about her blabbing about it. And the teachers have this confidentiality thing, so I'm not worried about them saying anything either. The only people I worry about are my parents. I just told them that Chloe knows, but she gets all emotional when I talk about it. They just say "Okay, we won't talk about it. We do NOT want her to get emotional!" Hopefully she won't find out for a very long time.

After I finish with my shower, I put on a change of clothes and my mom runs me to Walgreens where I get some Junior Mints and Sour Patch Kids to take over to Chloe's house. By the time I do that, it is 4 o'clock.

I decide to text her and ask what movie we are watching tonight. I hate movies, but I watch them with her because it gives us something to do. I watch movies with her in return with her playing Jenga or RockBand with me. She texts back with "It's a surprise!" Oh how I hate surprises.

I sit on the couch and work on a mix, waiting for the time to pass. I read for the next two hours and then I get up. I can't stop thinking about Chloe on the bus today. I mean, yeah she zones out sometimes, but this one seemed to be different and it lasted longer. I wonder what she was thinking about. Maybe I can get some answers out of her tonight. I don't know much about Chloe. Well, the part of her life before I knew her. She doesn't talk about her past much. I don't give her a hard time about it though because she knows so little of my past too. Sooner or later she will find out; I just hope that it's later. By the time I contemplate all that happened today, it's 6:40. So I grab a blanket, grab the candy, and head over to her house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I hope you all liked the first chapter of the story! I was amazed at how many views and follows I've gotten so far! Thank you all! I have been notified that I forgot to change some of the names from my original story to the movie character names. Thank you for pointing it out and I think I got all of them! If I ever have any mistakes, just review or PM me and I will explain and get them fixed! Thanks again! There are 22 chapters total in this story, and the first few in the dual perspective is the same chapter written in the different POV, so I hope to update those pretty quickly. Remember italics are thoughts! So, here it is!**

Chapter 2-Chloe POV

I wake up screaming and in a cold sweat. I hate these stupid nightmares. Why do I have to relive my awful past every night? It's 6:00, so there's no use in going back to sleep. I decide to get up and get ready to avoid drifting off. The bus comes at 7:15, so I have enough time to go through my closet and pick out the perfect last day of school outfit! After 20 minutes of trying things on, I decide on a pink dress that falls right above my knees. I spend the next 30 minutes putting on makeup to hide the scar above my left eye. That's the thing I love about being a girly-girl. I can put on a ton of makeup and no one thinks I've overdone it! I grab a granola bar and stuff it in my makeup bag as I walk out the door.

It's 6:58, so Beca shouldn't be out here for another 2 minutes. I was just about to text her when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I see her in the usual jeans and a t-shirt and wonder how she is not burning up in this 90 degree summer weather. Beca is a short girl, I mean _very _short, with brunette hair that she always keeps up in a ponytail and is built like an athlete. I wonder why she doesn't play any sports. She doesn't even have P.E.! She would be good at sports, if she wasn't so quiet.

She keeps to herself a lot, so she wouldn't be much of a team player. I shake my head when I see her and say "Seriously, Beca!? It's the last day of school! Wear some shorts for a change!" She comes back with, "You're the one to talk! You have that backpack full of makeup and it's only a half day! What's going to happen? A boy will walk up to you and point out that you have a little pimple under your nose?" pointing to a little spot under my nose. _Oh no! _I think. _If you can see a little pimple, there's no way you can't see my scar!_

I dig through my bag and whip out a mirror to make sure my makeup is okay. Beca just laughs and says, "You're so paranoid!" I stick my tongue out at her and see the bus out of the corner of my eye. I nudge her and wave my hand for her to get on the bus to find us a seat. One last look into my mirror and I board the bus.

The ride to school is pretty quiet since it's the morning and everyone is still asleep. The school day goes on as normal and when the clock hits 12, we are free to enjoy our summer. I say goodbye to some of my friends, wish them a happy summer, sign some yearbooks, and head over to the spot where Beca and I meet at the end of the day. We board the bus, I check my makeup, and Beca and I start a conversation.

We talk about what we are going to do over the summer and I find out the majority of it will be hanging out with each other. She doesn't have any other friends, and we are so close, so I'm pretty much okay with it. She gives me those days every now and then to hang out with other people, and I hang out with them when she's visiting her sister or when she's out of town. I don't mind though. Beca is my best friend, and I love hanging out with her. We know almost everything about each other. Well, she doesn't know much about my past, and I don't know much about hers, but that's old news.

We met when we both moved here 5 years ago. We were both new and we realized that we only lived like 3 doors down from each other, so we instantly became friends. My mom made us move here after my dad died so we could have a new start. That's pretty much all Beca knows about my past. All I know about hers is that they moved here with her dad's job change.

Beca doesn't know that we not only moved after my dad's death, but we moved here to get away from the memories that the house held. We wanted to forget all about what my dad did to us, but it doesn't really help because I relive them every night in my dreams. Sometimes I get flashbacks of him abusing me, but Beca pretty much keeps me down to earth.

She waves her hand in front of my face and says, "Hello, Earth to Chloe!" and I realize I must have zoned out again. I come back to reality and she says "Welcome back! What were you thinking about, girly?" I shake it off and say "Oh…nothing."

I then remember that I was going to ask her if she'd like to come over to my house tonight to watch some movies in celebration of surviving another year of school. She accepts my invitation and then it's finally time to get off the bus. I wave to Beca as she walks towards her house and I walk toward mine.

I arrive home and my mom hands me my report card and says "Congrats Clarence! Straight A's again!" I tell her "It's Chloe, mom. But thanks..." and try to brush it under the rug.

As I walk up stairs, I hear her on the phone with my aunt saying "She can easily be the valedictorian if she keeps up grades like these!" Oh great! That's the last thing I want! I'm one of the popular girls, if anyone found out I'm smart I would instantly become uncool. I wouldn't want to do that to Beca. If we weren't friends, she'd basically be shunned at school. I'm the one thing that keeps her visible. I'm not sure she likes that though. She doesn't like talking to people, she rarely even talks to me when we are at school, and I'm her only friend! Thank goodness she talks outside of school, or my conversations would be very one sided.

I get up the stairs and take a shower. After I take a shower, I reapply my makeup and head back downstairs to make sure we have enough popcorn for our movie night tonight. Beca texts me while I rummage through the pantry looking for popcorn and a snack. It says "Hey, what movie are we watching tonight?" I tell her it's a surprise. I'm surprised she accepted anyways. I know she hates movies. I think it's because she knows if she watches movies with me, I will play board games with her. I grab a snack to eat and head upstairs to check my Facebook only to see all the posts about getting out of school. I look up at the clock and realize that it's 6:30. Beca and I agreed on 7 to meet up, but knowing her she will probably be here at 6:45. I pop the popcorn and put in The Hunger Games. Before I know it, the doorbell rings and Beca is standing there with a bag of candy and a blanket. I invite her in and we get started.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! I have decided to try to update once a day for the first week since the chapters are so similar! Then afterwards probably maybe once or twice a week. Oh! And Clarence is Chloe's full name. I've had a few questions regarding that! Thanks to smw48910, EagleHawk, BardenBellaBeca, and Guest for reviewing! Also thanks to all my followers and favorites! I hope you enjoy this new chapter! ;)**

Chapter 3-Beca POV

I come in and I realize that we are watching The Hunger Games. I like the book; I'm just not that big of a fan of the movie. Oh well, Chloe loves it, so I guess I will watch it. She sits down on the couch in her PJs and I sit down on a recliner next to her. We each have a bowl of popcorn and I lay out the candy for us to get whenever we want it. We've made it about ¾ of the way through the movie and I've made too many jokes and references to count. Chloe laughed at every single one of them. That's why I'm happy we are friends. She laughs at all of my jokes and she understands me like no one else does. Well, she understands most of me. There are a couple things I just can't talk about with her. I think she is the same way with me, but we share the majority of things with each other. I know our friendship will never move along unless we share all of our secrets, but neither of us are going to do that anytime soon, so I just ignore it.

We get to the part where Katniss finds Peeta by the river. They make it to the cave and Chloe says "You know what? You kind of remind me of Peeta!" I start to panic and I quickly ask, "And why is that?" _Oh! I desperately hope she is not talking about my leg! _She replies with "Because, he's always there for Katniss, even when he is hurt."

I let out a huge sigh of relief, but she looks like she is about to say something else, so I try to change the subject. "I'm probably not the best friend you've ever had. I mean, when you moved here, you probably just settled for me because we were both new and you needed to start at the bottom to build up your social status!" I tease her on the last sentence. She takes it literally and strikes back with, "That is SO not true!" I laugh and say, "Hey, calm down! It was just a joke! You must have had a best friend before we met. Come on, what's their name?" _Why did I go into the past subject? It's a sore topic for us both and once I find out things, she will have to start digging into my past too. I think this was a mistake. _

She tells me that she was the most popular girl at school and when her dad died her mom couldn't stand all the memories in the house and that she wanted to move away. She was sad to leave all of her great friends, but it's what her mom wanted, so they moved here. I just say "Okay, cool. So nothing's really changed." so I can get off of this subject.

I feel like she is hiding something from me though. I'm pretty sure that story is not entirely true. I let it go and respect her privacy even though it is eating up my insides to find out what the real story is. "What about you?" she asks. "What?" I say, trying to get off this subject entirely. She replies with "You know what. Did you have any friends before you moved here and meet the fabulous Clarence Beale to spend the rest of your life with?" I want to say yes, but back at my old school, everyone knew me and what happened to me. People would talk to me but all I felt was their pity towards me because of what happened. I had 3 friends before the accident, but after it happened, I was ashamed of the state I was in and I just kind of stopped talking to them. I really just stopped talking in general.

They were all on the soccer team, and I was too before it happened. I was one of the star players, along with my friends, and after the accident I wasn't able to play anymore. I couldn't face them because I was too afraid to face the past and what life was like before because I had lost so much. I was destined for greatness and then it all went away in a matter of minutes. I snap out of my trance and just shrug off her question and say "Nah, it was pretty much the same as here." _I feel like she can see right through me._

I knew this wasn't going to end well. I wish I could say that I was relieved when she said "Oh, well at least you have one now! And I will NEVER leave you!" but with her tone I feel like she was just saying that to make me feel better. I wish her statement was true, but I know better. Everything good eventually leaves or gets taken away. I'm surprised we have been friends this long without her leaving me. I know I will eventually have to tell her my secret, but I'm afraid that when I do, she will either be disgusted with me or mad at me for not telling her and leave me, or that she will take pity on me and I won't be able to stand being around her!

By the time we have ended this conversation, Katniss and Peeta have won the games and the movie has ended. We decided to watch another movie, which means she wanted to watch another movie and when I was thinking in my own little world she made the decision to watch another movie. I was hoping that during this next movie, she would forget everything we just talked about, and would never bring it up again, but I know that won't happen.

We are just about to slide in the next movie when Chloe's mom walks in and says, "Hey Beca! It's getting late, why don't you just spend the night?" I reply with "Thanks for the offer Ms. Beale. Let me ask my mom. If she says yes I will tell her to bring me over some pajamas."

That's really the last thing I want to do after this conversation occurred, but I didn't want to act suspicious and decline. I text my mom and she says yes. I text her back telling her "MAKE SURE to bring the PJs that are pants, not shorts!" She says "Will do" and within 5 minutes she is at Chloe's door with my bag. I tell her thanks and goodnight and then go change into my PJs. Thank goodness mom remembered to pack my slippers. Chloe would have figured out something was up if I wore my tennis shoes with my pajamas. I come back down stairs, Chloe's mom tells us goodnight and we slide in another disc.

Around halfway through the movie we decide to hit the hay. We head up to her room and brush our teeth. Chloe doesn't do anything to take off her makeup so I ask her "Why didn't you take your makeup off? Aren't you supposed to do that?" I just need an excuse to be alone to I can take this thing off before she sees it. I hate sleeping in it anyways.

She acts like it has just dawned on her and says "Oh yeah, I forgot!" She walks into her bathroom and right as she closes the door I go into action. I take my AFO off as quickly as I can, stuff it in my bag, trying to hide it, and then try to hop quietly over to the blow up mattress Chloe put out for me. I try to cover up my bum leg, which is considerably thinner than my other one, and snuggle into the blanket. I finished just in time.

Right when I get it to look like I'm settled she comes out of the bathroom. She goes over to turn off the light, but leaves the lamp on so she can make her way back. I guess she stepped on my foot, because she says "Whoops, sorry!" I tell her "It's no big deal, now get to bed."

She tells me that if I need to use the restroom or if I want to late night snack just to go for it. I said thanks and then I rolled over to go to sleep. The first thing I think about is when she stepped on my foot. It must have been my bad one because I didn't even feel it, stupid nerve damage. She's probably catching on now, but I really hope she isn't. I wonder why she didn't want to take her makeup off. I know at school she doesn't want to be seen without it, but I'm her best friend. I don't care what she looks like!

I hope she doesn't care what I look like whenever she finds out my secret. The only other thing I think about is the conversation we had downstairs. Chloe is being quiet, which she never is, and I assume she is doing the same. I don't bother her and I let my thoughts drift me off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Day 4 of 7 straight updates! Sorry for the later update today. I slept until 12 (which felt great!) and then I had an Audio Production project to work on. Enough of my life story, so on with the chapter. I hope you all liked the last chapter! Here's a new one, and I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 4-Chloe POV

Beca is at the door and I invite her in. I hand her a bowl of popcorn and she sets the candy she brought down on the coffee table. I have already changed into my PJs and I jump onto the couch. Beca decides to take the recliner beside me. I tell her we are watching the Hunger Games. She doesn't scoff or anything, so I continue to let it play. Beca is making so many jokes and references throughout this movie. Some of them are funny, and some are not. I laugh at them anyways, just to build up her self-esteem. She needs a lot of that.

After we get through about ¾ of the movie, I decide to try and start some conversation. We are at the part where Katniss finds Peeta next to the river and they make their way to the cave. "You know what? You kind of remind me of Peeta!" I tell Beca. Immediately after I say that, I see her get tense. _She's hiding something, I can tell._

She stutters "A-and why is that?" _I am desperate to find out what she is so nervous about._ I finally reply with "Because, he's always there for Katniss, even when he's hurt." I know she's not hurt, but I say this anyways. _Wait, could she be hurt? She's my best friend! I have to ask!_

I am just about to say something when she says "I'm probably not the best friend you've ever had. I mean, when you moved here, you probably just settled for me because we were both new and you needed to start at the bottom to build up your social status!" _What?! _ I think to myself. _Where did that come from? _

I hate how she puts herself down like that! She always does it! Whenever someone says something good about her she will say something totally different. Like this one time she got the highest grade on a test in our class and I said "Congrats! You must be a little genius!" She immediately replied with "It's not that big of a deal, I stayed up all night studying for it." She always has to make herself less important than others. I wonder what was in her past that made her like that today.

With all the anger I have for the way she treats herself, I spit back "That is SO not true!" She just chuckles and says "Hey, calm down! It was just a joke! You must have had a best friend before we met. Come on, what's their name?" Why is it that all of a sudden she wants to figure out my past? I mean, I know we have been friends for a while now, but we basically have this silent agreement that we don't go into that subject. I don't know why she does, but I do because I don't want her to know that I'm not this perfect girl that she thinks I am. She is so unsure about herself; I need to be the one constant thing in her life.

I really didn't want to tell her that no one would hang out with me because they always saw the cuts and bruises on me from where my dad abused me. They always thought I had something wrong with me. They would call me names like Klutz because whenever I got a really bad bruise I couldn't hide with my clothing I said I fell on something. I hated being the outcast.

I can tell why Beca doesn't want to be in the spotlight, I just wonder what her dirty little secret is that keeps her out of it. I feel like I should respect it, since I'm her best friend, but I feel like I have the right to know. I bet she's afraid that once she tells me that I will not accept it and run away. _I wonder if she has abandonment issues_… After that thought, which could very well be true, I wipe it from my mind and answer her question. "Well, I was the most popular girl in school. I mean I had so, SO many friends. It's hard to count. When my dad died, my mom had so many memories in the house we were in, so she wanted to move away. I mean, it was hard to leave all my friends, but I'd do anything for my mom." _Please tell me she bought it! PLEASE tell me she bought it! _"Okay, cool. So nothing's really changed." Beca replies with.

I really hope she believed my story, but I know better than that. She didn't buy it. So I try to turn it on her. If she wants to find out about my past, which is this strange part in each of our lives that we never talk about, I will find out about hers. I ask her "What about you?" "What?" she replies, knowing where I am going with this and wanting to get off the subject. Too bad for her, she started it and she is going to finish it! "You know what. Did you have any friends before you moved here and met the fabulous Clarence Beale to spend the rest of your life with?"

I can tell she's thinking about the right thing to say, so I'm not sure if what will come out will be truth or fiction. She finally comes out from her little world she's in and says "Nah, it was pretty much the same as here." _What…a…lie! _ I think to myself. She senses that I doubt her. I decide to get off the subject and search some more later. I might go talk to her mom or something. "Oh, well, at least you have one now! And I will NEVER leave you!" _Why did I say that?! Now if she really DOES have abandonment issues, she's going to know that I caught on! _

She's going back into that little world of hers. I sit there for a bit, watching the last 5 minutes of The Hunger Games. When it's over, I snap her out of it and ask if she wants to watch another movie. She reluctantly agrees but right as we are about to pop the DVD into the player my mom comes in and says, "Hey Beca! It's getting late, why don't you just spend the night?" I look up to the clock. It's 9:45 and then I look over at Beca. She says "Thanks for the offer Ms. Beale. Let me ask my mom. If she says yes I will tell her to bring me over some pajamas." _Yes! Maybe I can figure out what's going on. _

Beca's mom gives it the go ahead and 5 minutes later she is at the door with Beca's stuff. I tell her to go change into her PJs and she comes back and slumps into the recliner with her PJs and slippers on. After she gets back, we put in another DVD.

Halfway through the movie, we decide that it's time to go to bed. We go up to my room, brush our teeth, and then head to bed. I left my make up on so Beca doesn't see my scar. I feel like she is waiting to do something, but I don't know what. She notices that I didn't take my makeup off and she asks "Why didn't you take your makeup off? Aren't you supposed to do that?" I'm seriously starting to get worried now. Beca has never seen my scar. And after our awkward conversation earlier this evening, I don't want her to see it now.

It seems like she also has some kind of business she has to attend to, so I just say "Oh yeah, I forgot!" and I go into my bathroom and "take" my makeup off. I take all but the makeup over my scar off. I hear rustling in my room, so I wait to go out until it stops. I pretend to go to the bathroom and floss, and when she's finally done, I go out. She is lying on the blow up mattress we put in my room all covered up. I go to turn out the light but leave my lamp on so I can make my way back to my bed. On my way back I step on her foot. She doesn't seem to realize it until I say "Whoops, sorry!" She says it's no big deal and tells me to go ahead and get in bed. I tell her that if she needs to use to restroom or needs to get a glass of water or a midnight snack, she is welcome to it. She thanks me and then rolls over to go to sleep.

I can tell that our conversation tonight has gotten the old wheels turning in her head. I decide to be silent and give her quiet time to think. I should probably do the same. After all that's gone on tonight, I can't wait to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! Sorry for another repetitive chapter! It will get better, I promise! Thank you to smw48910 for reviewing and helping! I hope I separated the chapters some and it looks better! I hope you like the new update, and hopefully look forward to another one tomorrow!**

Chapter 5-Beca POV

The dream I had that night was awful. I told Chloe about my accident and she was disgusted with me.

She yelled at me saying "How could you keep something this big from me for so long?!"

She left me all alone, in the middle of nowhere. I finally wake up, feeling like I am in this dark abyss of loneliness. I glance at the clock and notice that it is 6:00. Chloe probably won't wake up for a while, but I notice she is tossing and turning some, so she might wake herself up. With that thought in my mind, I decide to get up and put on my AFO so I won't have to do it when she's awake. I pull my pants overtop my orthosis and right as I do that Chloe starts screaming. I walk over to the left side of her bed and see that she is still asleep.

"Chloe." I whisper, trying to see if she's actually awake. "Chloe!" I say a bit louder and nudge her in her arm. The screaming gets worse. I try again but with more force and she wakes up.

She has a look of terror in her eyes, and when she sees me, it instantly turns to panic. "What's the matter, why were you screaming?!" I ask her, with a bit of edge to my voice. She says shakily "I had a nightmare."

She scoots over and I sit down on the edge of her bed, letting my right leg hang over the side of it.

"What was it about?" I ask. She gets hesitant and finally says "Oh… um… mutant pickle monsters were eating me and my family… yeah, that was it."

_I totally know that was a lie. _I try and nudge it out of her by saying "Oh, okay. I'm sorry. You know if you ever need me, I'm always here. I wake up super early anyways, so if you wake up from a nightmare and need to talk, just call me!"

_Why did I say that? Now if she really does have nightmares frequently, she's going to think I'm catching on…_ I've slept over at her house before, but I've never heard her scream in her sleep. She worriedly asks me "Oh no! I didn't wake you up, did I?" I say "No, I woke up a little bit before the screaming started happening." A look of relief crosses her face, and then it turns hard. She asks me "Have I ever woken you up from my screaming before?" _So she IS applying that she does it often. _"No, do you do it often?" I reply.

_Maybe if I say that, she won't think I'm catching on to anything. _She stutters, "N-no. Why would you think that?" I say "Oh, no reason" trying to end the conversation. It's silent for about 5 minutes until I say "You want to get ready and get some breakfast or something?" She agrees and I go into her bathroom to change while she changes in her room.

I quickly throw on a shirt, and then take off my orthosis so I can get on my pants. I get them on and put my orthosis underneath. I realize that I left my tennis shoes in her room. _Crap! _I think to myself. _Without my tennis shoes on, Chloe will see my orthosis! She'd probably see the limp from the unevenness first though and ask what happed to me. _I decide to go on out since I have on super long pants on, hoping that she won't notice. If she points out the limp, I will just blame it on her from stepping on my foot last night. She has already picked out her outfit and changed. She is wearing skinny jeans and a ruffled top.

I hobble over to my shoes and it's just my luck that she asks, "What's the matter Beca?" I try to act as calm as I can. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just from where you stepped on my foot last night. No big deal. I will be fine." A look of worry crosses Chloe's face, "Oh my! I'm so sorry! Here, let me look at it." I back away say nervously "No, no. I'm fine, really." She says "Come on, I feel bad about it, really, let me see how bad it is. You always tend to underestimate things." I shake my head and continue to back away. I look over and see makeup on her pillow. _I thought she took off her makeup last night. What was she doing when she was supposed to be taking it off? _"

Hey, why is there makeup on your pillow." She gets really pale and looks over to the pillow. She looks back at me, and then swings up her arm and covers her left eye. I tease with her and say "Did you get a black eye or something and not want to show me because you knew I would go beat up the person that did this to you?" She says "Um, no." and says somehing about pirate dancing then sprints into the bathroom.

_Phew! _I limp over as fast as I can to my tennis shoes and pull on the right one first, then the left. I wonder why she got so jumpy when I pointed out the makeup on her pillow. I wonder why she acted like she took it off. I mean, I thought she took all of it off, because she did in fact have a little pimple under her nose. I'm pretty sure she didn't just miss a spot either. I wonder what she was trying to cover up. Chloe finally comes out of the bathroom 15 minutes later with all her makeup back on and her hair straightened. I just stick mine up in my regular ponytail and we go downstairs to eat.

The table is pretty quiet while we eat. We both try to keep from conversation by stuffing our mouths with food. We don't talk at all until her mom comes in and tells us good morning. We both greet her and she asks what we are thinking about doing today.

"Well, we have youth group tonight," Chloe says, "so we can do whatever we want until 6:30 rolls around." "What are we doing in youth group tonight anyways?" I ask. "I think we are talking about our team building lock-in this weekend, right mom?" Chloe replies. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot!" Ms. Beale says. "Don't forget to take your permission slips tonight!" I nod and say "Okay, thanks Ms. B." Chloe and I decide to go to a movie and then come back home so my mom can take us to church.

We see Now You See Me and then go back to my house. Ms. Beale runs my bag over to my house because I forgot it over at their house. My mom and Chloe's go into the kitchen and start to talk, hopefully not about anything I don't want her to talk about, but if she can get some information about what happened before they moved here, that would be a big help to my investigation. Chloe and I hang out in my room and play some Double Solitaire. By the time I won 3 rounds and Chloe has won 2, it's time for church.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello once again people of the awesome part of the internet! Thanks for sticking with these first few repetitive chapters! They will get better I promise! This is day 6 of the 7 day update-a-day streak! There are 22 chapters in all, so I might start off with maybe 2 updates a week and then dwindle down to 1 as we get closer to the end. Which day of the week would you like me to update on? I work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and I can usually get it done then because I have a desk job. Unless the majority of the vote is otherwise, I will probably start updating on one of those days. Which would you like better? Thanks for the input everyone! There have been no new reviews since yesterday :( but there has been quite a few favorites and followers! So thank you to you! I hope you like this new chapter and expect one tomorrow too to finish off the update-a-day-athon! :)**

Chapter 6-Chloe POV

I have another nightmare. It's the same one as always. My dad is abusing me in some way, but tonight is it worse. It's about the time I got my awful scar.

I'm being pinned to the floor, held against my will, while my dad yells at me. I try to escape but he just pushes down harder. My mom yells at him from across the room and averts his attention from me. I manage to escape but he grabs my bicep, tearing my shirt and dislocating my shoulder in the process. My dad gets furious and starts to scream at my face. My mom says something inaudible to him and he lets go of me. I stand there, cradling my arm in my left hand, watching my dad punch my mom in the gut over and over again. I scream at him to stop, and he turns back to me. He doesn't consider me worth his time so he throws a knife at me and turns back to my mom. I try to dodge it, but I'm too late and the knife makes a 2 inch gash right above my left eye. I'm blinded by the blood when I try to look over to my mom. I watch my dad throw my mom on the ground and storm out. I manage to stand up and walk over to her, but I only make it halfway before I black out.

That's when I hear something different. Beca's voice is saying, "Chloe. Chloe!" and I wake up with a raging headache. I see her and I realize I was screaming in my sleep again.

Panic creeps into my mind and she asks "What's the matter, why were you screaming?!" I try to say calmly, "I had a nightmare." but it comes out shakily.

I scoot over and pat on my bed for Beca to sit down with me. She sits down on the edge and she asks "What was it about?" I really don't want to tell her it was about my past, so I make up a story and say "Oh…um…mutant pickle monsters were eating me and my family…yeah, that was it." _WHAT?! _

I hope it was so detailed she would believe it, but I know that won't happen. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry." Beca says. _She saw right through it!_ "You know if you ever need me, I'm always here. I wake up super early anyways, so if you wake up from a nightmare and need to talk, just call me!" _She knows I have nightmares?! _I think to myself. _There's no way. I mean, I haven't woken up screaming at her house before, and I know that if I was screaming in my sleep, she would have woken me up like she did just now. _

I then get worried. Did I wake her up? "Oh no! I didn't wake you up, did I?" "No, I woke up a little bit before the screaming started happening." She says. I'm relieved that I didn't wake her up, but then I wonder. "Have I ever woken you up from my screaming before?" _Crap, I pretty much just told her that I have nightmares so bad I wake up screaming. She's totally going to want to know what happens now! _"No, do you do it often?" Beca asks. I can tell, curiosity is flowing through her mind. That's the last thing I need. I blurt out "No. Why would you think that?" "Oh, no reason." she says, trying to end the conversation.

_Oh great! Now she is going to investigate. I wish this hadn't happened! _It's silent for what seems like ages when Beca says, "You want to get ready and get some breakfast or something?" I say "Yeah, sure." Beca goes into my bathroom and I change in my room.

I pick out a cute ruffled top and some skinny jeans. Beca comes out of the bathroom with the bootleg jeans she had on yesterday and a new t-shirt on. She starts to walk over to her bag and her shoes when I notice she's limping, you know, more than usual. "What's the matter Beca?" I ask, wondering what happened. She tries to shake it off and says "Oh, it's nothing. It's just from where you stepped on my foot last night." _I thought she didn't even feel it! She didn't realize it until I said something! How could it be that bad?! _

I immediately feel guilty and Beca says "No big deal. I will be fine." I start to get worried. I did step on her foot, but there's no way that it hurt her so bad that she's limping. "Oh my! I'm so sorry!" I tell Beca. "Here, let me look at it." I want to know how bad it is, just in case I stepped on her ankle or something.

She starts to back away like she's scared and says "No, no. I'm fine, really." I try to pester her into showing me, "Come on, I feel bad about it, really, let me see how bad it is. You always tend to underestimate things." She shakes her head and continues to back up. She looks away from me for a split second and turns back. "Hey, why is there makeup on your pillow?"

I instantly feel the blood drain from my face and I look at the pillow. I look back at her, worriedly, and jerk my hand up to cover my left eye. She asks me "Did you get a black eye or something and not want to show me because you knew I would go beat up the person that did this to you?" I know immediately that she's kidding, because there is no way she would beat up anyone in her life. That's one fact I know about Beca. I say "Um, no. Amy, you know that one girl in our youth group, she taught me how to pirate dance!" to get her off the topic and I rush into the bathroom.

I look up into the mirror and see that my scar is visible. I think my side bangs were covering it up though. I can't stop worrying and I put on a ton of makeup to hide it. I straighten my hair and come out to see Beca with her shoes on, putting up her hair. After we are both ready, we go downstairs for breakfast.

It's almost silent as we eat our pancakes. I think we are both avoiding conversation by stuffing out mouths with food. My mom finally walks in and says "Good morning!" We greet her back and she asks us if we are doing anything today. I remember that it is Wednesday and say "Well, we have youth group tonight, so we can do whatever we want until 6:30 rolls around."

Beca asks "What are we doing in youth group tonight anyways?" "I think we are talking about our team building lock-in this weekend, right mom?" I say as I look up to my mom. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot! Don't forget to take your permission slips tonight!" Beca and I tell her thanks and start to talk about what we want to do today. We decide to go see a movie and then go back to Beca's house and wait around until it's time for church.

We go see Now You See Me, which Beca dozed off in more than once, and then head over to her house. She left her bag over at my house from last night so my mom brings it over and uses it as an excuse for our parents to have some hang out time. Mrs. Mitchell leads my mom into their kitchen and they start to talk. I hope they aren't talking about my nightmares and how I've been screaming. Hopefully my mom can get Beca's to spill the beans and I can figure out what's really behind the mysterious Beca Mitchell. We go into her room and play one of our favorite card games, Double Solitaire. By the time we are done, Beca has beaten me 3-2, and it's time for youth group.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! I haven't gotten any reviews or PMs telling me what day everyone would like me to start updating on since this is the last day of the update-a-day-athon. So it is undetermined right now! I had time in study hall today so I updated and fixed the formatting of the previous chapters! I hope you all like this new chapter! OH! Before I posted this story on this website, it wrote it with different character names. That's why you might see Danni or Sam in there. If you happen to spot one, just PM me which chapter it is in and I will fix it ASAP! Thanks to all those who followed and favorited! Till next time!**

Chapter 7- Beca POV

Chloe and I finish up our game of solitaire and grab our permission slips to take to church. We hop in my mom's car and head off. Once we get there, Chloe and I go up to the teen room and my mom and Ms. Mitchell go to the sanctuary for the adult service. We don't have many kids in our youth group. We only have 6 total, including Chloe and I. We are called EPIC but I think it's basically an epic fail with 6 kids. It's fun though, and it gives us something to do in the church.

Chloe is the only person I talk to outside of school, but I've gotten kind of close to the kids in EPIC. We go into the worship room and find a seat. Soon after, Amy appears next to us with a huge smile on her face. Amy is our age, but she is the craziest girl you will ever meet. She always has a smile on her face and she says the weirdest things with that Australian accent of hers . She says hello and asks us if we have our permission slips. We show her our papers and she smiles even bigger. "Won't this lock-in be SO much fun!? I just hope that there is some croc wresting!" We laugh and then she sprints off to go see if everyone else has their permission slip screaming "I'm horizontal running!".

I'm not big on social gatherings, but I feel like this lock-in will be fun. I'm pretty close to these people, and even though I'm pretty quiet around them, they still consider me worth their time. Every now and then I will have a conversation with one of the 4 other teens, but I mostly hang out with Chloe.

Soon, the twins come in, Aubrey and Ashley. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart if they didn't have different hair color. I think one dyes their hair just for that reason. They are a year older than us, but they are still pretty cool. Ashley doesn't talk much, and I don't know why, but I think that's why I like her. Aubrey is stern and assertive, so I'm not the biggest fan of her, I don't even think she liked me either.

They ask us if Amy said the same thing to us. We ask what she said and Aubrey replies "She said something about croc wrestling?" Ashley nods and Aubrey says "I'm just surprised she said a sentence that didn't say dingo in it." We nod and they find a couple bean bags to sit on.

After we wait on the last kid, Jessica, to come in, we get started. Our youth leader, Jesse, asks us if we all have our permission slips. We give them to him and he starts to go over the plan.

"Okay, so everyone has helped plan some activities for this lock-in and it will be a blast! Don't forget that it is this weekend. Meet here at 6 for dinner and then we will get started. As most of you know, this is a 2 day lock-in. Friday night to Sunday morning. The first day we are going to have some fun, play some board games, and maybe even play Psychiatrist."

Psychiatrist is our favorite game. We play it all the time here. It's an acting game where one person is selected to be the Psychiatrist and they walk out of the room. The rest of the group makes up a problem for the Psychiatrist to solve and then they act it out.

"Saturday will be fun for half of the day, and serious the other half. We will have worship and ministry and we will do our most important activity of the lock-in, called If You Really Knew Me." _I don't like the sound of this game… _"In this activity, you share something with each other that no one knows about you." _Oh, great. _"You can write it out if you want, but you have to participate. This will probably bring us closer than we have ever been. Don't slack off. This activity is important." _If this is what I think it is, I will NOT enjoy it. _

"After that we will play a couple happier games, because this game can get depressing," we hear a little whimper from Ashley in the background "and then go to sleep. We will wake up in time for church Sunday and then say our goodbyes, knowing and caring more about each other!" After Jesse finishes up his speech, the room feels tense. He smiles and says "Don't worry! It will be fun! I promise!" The group lightens up a bit and then we start worship. EPIC ends at 7:30, so when that time comes we all say our goodbyes and head our separate ways, each of us worrying about our If You Really Knew Me papers.

I lean over to Chloe and ask "What are you going to write yours about?" She starts to stiffen up and then says "Oh, I don't know… and when I figure it out, I'm not telling you! It will be a surprise!" "You know I hate surprises." I tell her back.

"What about you?" She asks right back. I reply with "I don't know either, but I'm sure as heck keeping it away from you when I do!" Chloe smirks and we meet our moms downstairs.

Jesse walks up to us and says "Don't forget ladies! I will be starting my paper tonight. I suggest you do the same!" We hop in the car and my mom asks "What was Jesse talking about?" Chloe replies with "Oh, just some game everyone is regretting playing at the lock-in. It's about sharing feelings and stuff." Chloe and I shudder after that sentence.

Chloe's mom says "Oh, well that will be fun! You two pretty much know everything about each other though, so you two shouldn't have a problem with that!" Oh how I wish that was true. This will definitely be harder for the two of us, considering our curiosity and secrets. I know if Chloe spills her secret, I will have to spill mine.

We drop Chloe and her mom off at their house, even though it's only 3 doors down, and then go back to our house. I go upstairs to my room and grab my laptop and try to think of ideas for this paper. I definitely have one sticking out in my head, but I really don't want to do it.

I end up making one about having no friends makes me feel lonely, but how I also don't really mind sometimes since I have Chloe. I think and think about it and then finally realize that I won't be able to go to sleep unless I write what's really on my mind.

It was 9 o'clock when I started, and by the time I'm done, it's 1 in the morning and I have tears rolling down my face. I wipe them off of my shirt sleeve and save the document, making sure I encrypt it when I do.

I text Chloe to see if she is still up and she replied saying she was. I ask her why she is up so late and she said "Same as you." I wonder how she knows what I'm doing, but then I remember that we just know each other like that. Chloe texts me to go to sleep and she said she was going to do the same. We exchanged goodnights and I got ready for bed. I go back to my bed and take the laptop and set it on the floor. I sit down, take off my AFO, and crash.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again everybody! I have decided that I will update Sundays for an end of the weekend present, and on Wednesdays to get you through the middle of the week! I will update an extra day this week so we can have the chapters line up! Thank you to Smydrick, smw48910, and Guest for the reviews! Also thanks to Aca-Geek for the PM! I hope you all enjoy the new chapter! **

Chapter 8-Chloe POV 

Beca beats me at another game of solitaire and we realize it's time to go to church. All of us hop in Danni's car and drive off.

When we get to church, out moms head to the sanctuary for their service while Beca and I head up to EPIC, our youth group, and go sit in the worship room. We don't have many kids in EPIC. We have Amy, the twins, Jessica, Beca, and I. So, all together we have 6. It's nice having a small group to talk to and hang out with.

This is the only place outside of home and school that Beca talks, and this is probably the only place outside of home and school that I'm actually kind of quiet. After Beca and I find a seat, Amy, the craziest person you will ever meet, comes and sits down next to us. She has a big smile on her face, as always, and then says something about croc wrestling. "Won't this lock-in be SO much fun!?" Amy says.

Beca and I agree with her and she scurries off to see if the others have their papers. Next thing I know the twins, Aubrey and Ashley, walk in. "Hey, did Amy seem a bit more giddy than she usually does?" Aubrey asks. "She also said something about croc wrestling?"

We nod, waiting to hear from Ashley, but that never happens. They go find some bean bags to sit in. Stacie, Jesse's wife, and I have a little conversation while we wait on the last kid, Jessica, to get here. Once he gets here Jesse gathers all of us together to talk about the lock-in. I pretty much zone out the whole time and find out that it's a 2 day lock-in. The one thing I did pay attention to was when Jesse said we were going to play this game called If You Really Knew Me. You are supposed to share something no one knows about you. After he explains the game, I feel the room stiffen up. I decide to pay attention for the rest of the service just to see if I can figure out what everyone is going to say. I know what I am going to have to say, I just hope Beca doesn't find out first.

I feel like I should tell her first, but I think it will be easier to come out all at once to a bigger crowd. That way, if Beca wants to beat me up, I will have witnesses. Throughout the service I notice Ashley's smile fades, and by 7:30 her face is as plain as I've ever seen it. I wonder what her secret is, but I'm more interested in Beca's. I know if she tells her big secret, I will have to tell mine too. I bet she is thinking the same thing. She will probably write 2 papers to have the big one as backup just in case I do spill the beans. I don't want to come out with mine, but if it means finding out Beca's, if I don't find it out beforehand, I will do it. After all these things run through my head, it's time to leave. We all say our goodbyes and we each leave wondering what we will write about and what we will hear in the near future.

Beca walks down the hall with me. She asks "What are you going to write yours about?" I feel my body get tense and then answer half-truthfully "Oh, I don't know… and when I figure it out, you won't know. It will be a surprise!"

She slumps over and says "You know I hate surprises." and I start to laugh. "What about you?" I ask her back.

"I don't know either, but I'm sure as heck keeping it away from you when I do!" She says with a bit of an attitude.

I smirk and then we meet our moms downstairs. Jesse comes up to us and says "Don't forget ladies! I will be starting my paper tonight. I suggest you do the same!"

I think this over and then head over to the car with Beca. When we get into the car, Mrs. Mitchell asks "What was Jesse talking about?" I answer her question with "Oh, just some game everyone is dreading playing at the lock-in. It's about sharing feelings and stuff."

After I say that I shudder and notice Beca does the same. My mom says "Oh, well that will be fun! You two pretty much know everything about each other though, so you two shouldn't have a problem with that!"

My mother, who is always right, could not have been any more wrong at that moment. Beca and I are kind of in a rift in our relationship right now considering what happened last night. We will probably get over it in the next few days, but I still feel like our curiosity about each other is growing and it won't stop anytime soon.

Beca's mom drops my mom and I at our house and we say our goodnights. I tell my mom goodnight and head up to my room. I grab my laptop and start to come up with ideas for my paper.

I immediately start writing about my abusive father and how he treated me. When I get to the part about how I got my scar, is when I lose it. I go on and off writing because I keep crying. I finally just grabbed a roll of toilet paper to sit beside me and use as tissues.

I've filled up my trash can by the time I'm done, which is about 1AM. Right when I have calmed down, I get a text from Beca. She asks if I'm still up and I reply and tell her yes. She texts me back with "What are you doing up so late?"

I know the reason she is up so late is because she was probably writing her paper too. She is an early to bed, early to rise kind of person, and the only reason that she would be up this late is if she was really thinking about something. I text back "Same as you." and tell her she should probably get to bed.

We tell each other goodnight and I go to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I take off all my makeup and take a good look at myself in the mirror, scar and all. I get a flashback of all the memories and I clinch onto the counter like my life depends on it. When I finally snap out of it I realize that my knuckles have turned white. My fingers are numb from where I was gripping so tightly so I rub them together to get the blood flowing again. I make my way to my bed and fall asleep. That night was the most peaceful night I had. No nightmares, just a peaceful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello once again! I told y'all my new update days would be Sunday and Wednesday. Those are still what they are, but I wanted to put an extra one out there this week so I could line it up. So, here's a new chapter! Thanks to all those who followed and favorited! No reviews on this chapter yet, but keep them coming! I hope your week has started off well! See you Wednesday! ;)**

Chapter 9-Beca POV

When I wake up the next morning, I feel more rested than I have ever been in a long time. I realize I've slept until 9 o'clock and I leap out of my bed. It takes me probably 5 minutes to get ready and I head down stairs for a snack.

I run into my mom and she says "Hey sleepy head! How'd you sleep?" I say "Great, how about you?" She said she slept well too.

I remember how my mom talked to Chloe's mom yesterday and I decide to see if I can find out about anything Chloe might use in her paper. "So, what did you and Ms. Beale talk about yesterday?" "Oh we were just talking about you two." She replies.

"Well, what did you say?" I ask. "We were talking about how you and Chloe are so close."

"Oh. Was anything that Ms. Beale said new or interesting?" "No, not really." my mom said, "She was just talking about how Chloe kept waking her up in the middle of the night. She said something about screaming, I don't know."

_So she DOES do that often. I wonder why. _"Why? Does she have nightmares or something?" I ask "I guess. Do you know anything about them or what they are about?" my mom asks back.

_Well, she knows nothing, but she has confirmed that Chloe has nightmares frequently._ "No." I reply sadly.

My mom then tells me she has to leave because she has some volunteering over at the church to do. "I will be back early. They are predicting some bad storms tonight." My mom says as she walks out the door.

I text Chloe to see if she got any sleep last night, since we were both up so late. "Yeah, what about you?" I get back. "Yeah. Hey, do you want to hang out today?" I send. "Sure. Your place or mine?" "Mine is fine. My mom just left, so we will be alone." "Okay, I will be over there in 10 minutes." "Cool, see you then!"

I run over in my head what I will say to Chloe when she comes. I want to ask about the nightmares she has, because I'm pretty sure they are not about mutant pickles.

After I run through this 10 times, Chloe is at my door. I let her in and we go up to my room to play a board game. We whip out Jenga and set it up.

"So, how is your paper coming along?" Chloe asks. "Oh, I'm done. What about you?" I reply. "I'm done too." She tells me. "Cool."

We play Jenga silently after that until we get about 23 levels done. I decide now is the time to act. "Hey, do you know what our moms were talking about yesterday?" I ask Chloe.

"I don't know. Do you?" "No." I reply.

It's quiet for another 2 minutes or so until I ask "I know this is completely random, and a kind of out there topic, but do you get those nightmares often?"

Chloe immediately looks up from the block she is trying to move. "Why do you ask that?" her voice says, shakily. "Well, the other night when I woke you up because you were screaming, you kind of suggested that you have done it before." I say, trying to make it sound like I'm not digging into her private life.

"Oh, well, I get them sometimes, but not often. You must have been there on a bad night or something. Maybe it was the full moon. People say that it makes you go crazy…"

That's hard to believe, so I keep pressing on. "What are they about?" I ask. "Umm, they are all over the place really. You know how some people talk in their sleep? I guess I scream." "Oh, okay."

Another 4 minutes of silence occurs. I break out of the cross-legged form I'm sitting in because my foot is starting to fall asleep. "Is that what you wrote your paper about?" I ask quietly, averting all eye contact with her.

"I told you, it was a surprise." She says, with some attitude. _The nightmares have to be in there. _The air is so tense; I have to get away from here.

"Hey, do you want a snack?" I say, even though neither of us are hungry because our stomachs are churning from this awkward conversation. "Yeah, sure." She says. Right as I leave the room, I feel like I can breathe again.

I take as long as I can picking out a snack for both of us. _I wonder what she knows. I wonder if my mom told her anything. I mean, she thinks that Chloe knows. Could she have blabbed about it? _As I grab us a soda from the fridge I notice a sticky note on the front. 'Beca doctor 10:30 Friday' _Oh man, I forgot about that! What will I tell Chloe if she wants to hang out tomorrow before the lock-in? I guess I will tell her the truth, just not the entire truth. I will tell her I'm going to the doctor, but I won't tell her that it's my foot doctor. _

I go back upstairs with two Cokes and a bowl of buttered popcorn in my hand. Chloe is sitting on my bed. I guess she gave up on Jenga. I hand her a can and I set the popcorn on the bed. We sit there for a while eating silently until Chloe says "So, are you excited for the lock-in tomorrow?"

I think about it and then say "Yeah, but I'm dreading If You Really Knew Me. What about you?" "Same here." she replies.

We decide to put in a movie and watch it until my mom gets home. My mom tells Chloe that she should probably go home because of the storms that are supposed to come in soon.

"Hey, want to hang out tomorrow before the lock-in?" Chloe asks me. "Sorry, I can't." I tell her. "Why?" She asks curiously. I tell her the truth, "I have a doctor's appointment, sort of like a check-up thing." "Oh, okay." Chloe replies "See you at the lock-in!" "See ya." I say as Chloe walks out the door.

My mom signals me to help with the dinner she is starting, so I go over to help.

"Does Chloe know what kind of doctor's appointment this is?" My mom asks me. _Should I say yes, or no? I've said the truth once today, and it's worked out for me, so I might as well._

"No." I tell my mom "I didn't want her getting all emotional." "Oh yeah, right." My mom says back.

"Does Chloe's mom know about the accident?" I ask. "I mean, I guess Chloe has told her, right?" "I guess. Have you ever said anything about it to her mom?" I ask worriedly. "No, why? Should I have said something?" My mom asks. "No." I blurt out, so I try to say it in a calmer tone "No, I don't want her bringing it up to Chloe."

My mom gives me a weird look and then turns her attention back to the pot she was stirring and I sigh with relief. If Chloe's mom doesn't know, then that's for the best right now. I just have to make it through one more day, and then I hope I won't have to worry about this any longer.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again world! Sorry today's update was pretty late! I would have worked on it at work, but I had to work on a math paper. Blech. I have made the text format a little different in this chapter. If you like it, I will make the previous and the rest of the chapters like that. Thanks to Whatisthiz for the review, thanks to all my new Favorites and Follows, and shout out to Iwillforgetthisl8er! I hope you like this new update, and I hope to see you on Sunday!**

Chapter 10-Chloe POV

I wake up at 9:30 completely rested. That was the best night I've had since my dad died 5 years ago. I get up in a wonderful mood, get ready, and go downstairs to see what my mom's up to.

"I think that was the first night you didn't wake me up screaming." My mom tells me.

"Yeah. I wrote my If You Really Knew Me paper and crashed. That was the best I've slept in 5 years." "Well, good sweetie."

After I eat breakfast, I get a text from Beca.

Beca- Hey, did you get any sleep last night?

I text back happily -Yeah, what about you?

Beca- Yeah. Hey, do you want to hang out today?

Chloe- Yeah, sure. Your house, or mine?

Beca- Mine is fine. My mom just left, so we will be alone.

Chloe- OK. Be there in 10.

Beca- Cool

I make sure I have enough makeup on and tell my mom where I'm going.

As I walk to Beca's house, I think about all they has happened and try to pull together an idea for what Beca wrote her paper about. I remember how weird she was acting when I compared her to Peeta. I remember how I stepped on her foot and she didn't realize it until I apologized, and how the next morning she was limping because of it.

I make it to Beca's door and ring the doorbell, wiping all this from my mind until it is a good time to bring it up. Beca invites me in and we go up to her room. She gets out Jenga and we both sit cross-legged across from each other and set up the blocks.

I want to find out more about her paper, so I ask her "So, how is your paper coming along?"

"Oh, I'm done. What about you?" She replies. "I'm done too."

_That means it's around here somewhere. I just have to find it. There's no way she would write it out with her sloppy handwriting, so I know it's on a computer. _

We play Jenga a while longer and then Beca asks "Hey, do you know what our moms were talking about yesterday?"

"I don't know. Do you?" I ask.

Beca says no, but I think she might know something. _I hope my mom didn't say anything to her mom. Wait, maybe she found something out about Beca. I will have to ask her when I get home. _

I definitely know what my mom talked about when Beca asks "I know this is completely random, and a kind of out there topic, but do you get those nightmares often?" _Whoop, there it is! _

"Why do you ask that?" I try to say firmly but fail.

"Well, the other night when I woke you up because you were screaming, you kind of applied that you have done it before." _She knows something. I know she has found out about my nightmares, but I'm not sure if she knows what they are about. _

I decide to go ahead and talk about them so I can try to make her stop investigating. "Oh, well, I get them sometimes, but not often." _I didn't say I was going to tell the truth! _

"You must have been there on a bad night or something. Maybe it was the full moon. People say that it makes you go crazy…" _There is no way she will believe that, but I have to hope for the best. _

"What are they about?" Beca asks.

"Umm, they are all over the place really. You know how some people talk in their sleep? I guess I scream." _Please tell me she bought it! _

"Oh, okay." Beca says unconvincingly. It's silent again for a while, and then Beca changes the position she is sitting in. I do the same.

Beca breaks the silence and asks quietly "Is that what you wrote your paper about?" Beca won't look me in the eye, so she definitely knows that there has to be something interesting in there. "I told you, it's a surprise." I say with a little edge in my voice. _That probably just gave it away. _

I finally spot Beca's laptop. There has to be some way to get her out of here so I can see if her paper is on there. "Hey, do you want a snack?" Beca asks.

Honestly I don't because my stomach is aching from how nervous I am because of how close Beca is to finding out the topic my paper is about. _I need to get to that laptop! _

"Yeah, sure." I tell her. Beca leaves the room and I get up and go over to the laptop.

Beca's laptop has a password, but I know what it is. I log in and I go to Recent Documents. The first thing up there is 'If You Really Knew Me Paper'. I click on it only to find out that it is encrypted. I try her normal password again and that doesn't work. I try probably 10 other possible passwords until I hear Beca coming up the stairs. I shut off her computer and climb up onto her bed. She comes in with a bowl of buttered popcorn and two Cokes.

We sit and eat in silence until I try to start up a conversation. This awkward silence thing is getting out of control. "So, are you excited about the lock-in tomorrow?" Beca takes some time to think, knowing she should choose her words carefully.

"Yeah, but I'm dreading If You Really Knew Me. What about you?"

"Same here." I reply.

It's going to be hard revealing the secrets of my past, but if it will get Beca to spill hers, I'm all for it. I really don't want her to know about my dad though. I'm afraid she will treat me differently or think I'm some weirdo from keeping it from her this long. We both have something to hide, and I know our friendship will get stronger once we share what has made us who we are today.

We start to watch a movie and then Beca's mom gets home. When her mom calls us downstairs we bring our empty Coke cans and the bowl and take them with us. Mrs. Mitchell says it's time for me to leave because there's going to be some storm cell coming in.

"Hey, want to hang out tomorrow before the lock-in?" I ask Beca, wanting as much time with this Beca as I can get. I have a feeling once we share our secrets, things will never be the same.

"Sorry, I can't. I have a doctor's appointment, sort of like a check-up thing." She tells me. I'm a little disappointed since we can't hang out, but I can't shake this feeling that she's going to the doctor for the foot I stepped on, whether it was what I did or something else.

"Oh, okay. See you at the lock-in!" I tell her.

"See ya." Beca says as I walk out the door.

As I'm walking back to my house, I notice the sky is filling up with some heavy clouds. _Yup, a storms a brewin'! _I think to myself. Usually when it's tornado season, and there's supposed to be a big storm, Beca and her parents come over to my house because we have a basement and they don't. I text Beca to remind her that if they want or need to come over to my house for the basement, they are welcome to. Beca sends back thanks and when I get home I turn on the news to see how bad the cell is.

I see a big red blob coming towards where we live so I take a picture to send to Beca.

Chloe- Hey, y'all should probably come over here after dinner. It's supposed to be really bad.

Beca- Okay, I will get my stuff together and I will head over there after dinner. My parents said that they would stay here to keep your house from getting crowded.

Chloe- Okay, see you soon

Right before my mom and I eat dinner, it starts to rain. I get all the stuff we might need and take it down to the basement. Beca and I will probably stay in my room unless it gets really bad. I go ahead and stick my laptop, my makeup bag, a flashlight, a first aid kit, and a few sleeping bags down stairs. My mom asks me if I got everything we would need downstairs and I tell her yes.

We start to eat and the storm gets really bad. The doorbell rings and Beca is at our door soaking wet with a bag of stuff and a sleeping bag in her hand. I invite her in and she sits at the table as we finish dinner.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again! I hope your weekend was swell! Thanks for all the favorites and follows! OH! And I almost forgot. For those wondering what an AFO looks like, there is a picture here - url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=LYge1uXj6QY-uM&tbnid=wS2COyUho6fEkM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F% %2Fankle-foot-orthosis-a-short-glimpse%2F&ei=3uXuUqv8Eees2wW06ICACw&bvm=bv.60444564,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNFOW2Ddxrltln59m_6v5X1qn_3rYg&ust=1391474473659389 Sorry it's a super long URL! Please review and rate! See you on Wednesday! :)**

Chapter 11- Beca POV

The storm got worse, so Chloe invited me over to stay the night just in case we have to go down to her basement. I'm sitting at their kitchen table, dripping wet, as they finish up their dinner. After Chloe and her mom finish their dinner, Chloe and I help her mom clean up and then go upstairs to her room. She tells me to go ahead and change into my PJs so I can get out of my wet clothes and she did the same. I put on my slippers and walk out of her bathroom.

She has set up her Wii and we start to play Rockband. I play guitar and she plays drums. After about 4 songs, we are exhausted because we just go crazy when we play. We put the Wii up and we both sit down on her bed and watch a movie.

"This was fun, thanks for inviting me over." I say to Chloe. "Yeah. Thanks for coming."

She says back. I can't help but tell that her face looks sad and her eyes are full of worry.

"What's wrong?" I ask Chloe. "Nothing." she replies back barely audible.

"Come on. I'm your best friend. I know when something is up." I say to her.

"Okay, fine. I-I just have this feeling that once we share our stories, we won't be the same anymore." Chloe tells me.

"Now why in the world would you think that? We will still be Chloe and Beca." I try to comfort her by putting an arm around her.

"I'm afraid that when I share mine, you will look at me differently or you will be mad, or vise-versa" "No. No, no, no. I will still be there for you, no matter what. It might be weird at first, but we will get through it. I thought about the same thing, but then I realized how close we are. Nothing can separate us Chloe!" This brings a smile to her face, which I do in return.

"The things we say may be big, or may be small, but we will get through it, I promise!" I try to reassure her.

She finally believes me and says "Okay. I promise not to make a big deal of it if you don't." "I promise."

_There is no way that will happen. Hers might not be huge, but when I tell her mine, she will have a fit! _I just told her that to make her feel better. I just hope hers isn't so big that I break our promise.

We finish the movie and the rain is still coming. We decide play a few games of Double Solitaire. I beat her, as usual, and then we see that it's 10 o'clock. We brush our teeth, get my bed ready, and hit the hay.

I took off my AFO and stuck it in my bag when she was out of the room getting another pillow for me. I didn't bother to ask why she didn't take off her makeup again. I thought that with the whole conversation we had earlier, we should just let things be. I want our relationship to be normal as long as it can be before I tell her the worst part of my life, before I tell her why I can't do certain things she does, before I tell her I'm different.

I drift off to sleep, only to be woken up my Chloe at 2 in the morning with the tornado sirens going off. "Beca! Beca! Get up! We have to go downstairs to the basement! Now!"

"What? Why?" I reply.

"The storm, the sirens are going off." Chloe tells me.

"There are no tornadoes in summer!" I say.

"Well, tell that to the tornado!" Chloe says back. I think it's funny how she can still have a sense of humor even when we are about to be swept away by a tornado.

I'm about to get up until I realize that I don't have my orthosis on. _Crap! What am I going to do? _"Chloe, go down to the basement, I will meet you there." I say worriedly.

"No. I'm not leaving you Beca." _Come on! What will I do now? _

"Chloe, you don't understand! Go to the basement." "No Beca. I'm not leaving until you come with me. What are you trying to hide from me?" "Fine, just toss me my bag and turn around!" She does just that.

I grab my orthosis and start to put it on. "Beca, I don't understand. What are you doing?"

I occasionally look up to see if she is peeking. "You will find out soon." Her head starts to turn around and I snap at her "Hey, no peeking! Keep turned around until I say it's okay."

I finally get my orthosis on and I pull down my pant leg. I put on my slippers and get up. "Okay, now let's go." I grab my bag and I start out the door.

I grab Chloe's arm and we go downstairs into the basement. Chloe's mom is already in there and she says "There you two are! I was getting worried!"

I apologize and say "Sorry, I had some business to take care of." "Okay, Beca." Chloe's mom says.

Chloe grabs my arm and yanks me into the bathroom. She slams the door, turns on the light, and releases me. "What the heck was that Beca?!" She yells at me. I've never seen her this angry before.

"I'm sorry Chloe, you don't understand. Can we just drop it?" "No we cannot 'just drop it' Beca! Why wouldn't you leave?" "You will find out Saturday, okay. Please just drop it." I say, once again averting any eye contact with her. "Fine." Chloe says.

We leave the bathroom and pretty much not talk to each other the rest of the night. I knew that when I made that promise to keep my cool, Chloe wouldn't be able to take the intensity of my story. At least she got all of that anger out now, instead of later when we were in front of all the others. Now all I can do is ride out the storm and wait for Saturday evening to come.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again Web-ites! I hope you are doing fantastic! Here is your second bi-weekly update! I usually do this at work, which is what I am doing now, and I might be changing days I work soon! Instead of Wednesdays, I will be switching to Thursdays. So to make this easier on myself, I am considering Monday and Thursday updates, how does that sound? Would you rather keep it Sunday and Wednesday? PM and review with your answers! Thanks to all the new follows and favorites! As of now I have 44 followers, my lucky/favorite number! There have been like no reviews in the past few chapters, which kind of makes me sad. Am I doing good? Am I doing bad? Who knows!? I would appreciate some reviews, but I know you are wanting to read this next installment, so see you soon! ;) (PS, only 10 chapters left to go!)**

Chapter 12- Chloe POV

After I finish my dinner, Beca and I go upstairs and play Rockband and watch a movie. During the movie I told her how I was worried that once we shared our secrets we wouldn't be thee or as close anymore. She told me that nothing could separate us. That made me feel better, but it also made me feel more suspicious.

_Could her story be bigger than mine? It probably comes from her past, but I'm not sure. If it does, we will definitely have some explaining to do to each other! _

After we finish the movie, we play some solitaire. We then brush our teeth and get Beca's bed ready because it's 10 o'clock by the time we are done. I go get an extra pillow for Beca's bed and we are off to sleep.

I have an awful nightmare that when I tell Beca my secret she will hate me for not telling her and leave my life forever. I wake up right when the sirens start going off. I know that we have to get down to the basement, now, so I go over to Beca and wake her up.

"Beca! Beca! Get up! We have to go downstairs to the basement! Now!"

"What? Why?" Beca says, startled.

"The storm, the sirens are going off." I tell her.

"There are no tornadoes in the summer!" Beca says back.

"Well, tell that to the tornado!"

I am about to walk out when I see Beca sitting on her bed, not moving.

"Chlole, go down to the basement, I will meet you there." Beca says. _What? Why won't she come with me? I'm sticking with her, tornado or not! _

"No. I'm not leaving you Beca." I say, standing my ground.

She starts to argue with me "Chlole, you don't understand! Go to the basement." _Okay, now I'm getting ticked off!_

"No Beca. I'm not leaving until you come with me. What are you trying to hide from me?"

She doesn't answer my question, but says "Fine, just toss me my bag and turn around!" _What in the world kind of request is that?_

I'm hesitant, but I finally give in because I can see the worried look on her face and in her eyes. I grab her bag, toss it to her, and turn around.

"Beca, I don't understand. What are you doing?"

"You will find out soon." _What's that supposed to mean? _

I'm too angry with her to focus on what the problem is right now. I hear the sound of Velcro and start to turn around.

"Hey, no peeking! Keep turned around until I say it's okay." Beca snaps at me.

I wait a little longer, getting impatient, and then Beca says "Okay, now let's go."

She grabs my arm in one hand with her bag in the other and we go downstairs into the basement.

With all the anger built up inside me, I have to get it out some way. I grab Beca's arm and pull her into the bathroom. I shut the door and turn on the lights. My blood is boiling.

"What the heck was that Beca?!" I'm practically screaming in her face.

She starts to apologize "I'm sorry Chlole, you don't understand. Can we just drop it?"

"No we cannot 'just drop it' Beca! Why wouldn't you leave?"

"You will find out Saturday, okay? Please just drop it." She says with what seems to be tears in her eyes. _Beca never cries... What is going on?_

"Fine." I give up on her.

We leave the bathroom and go to separate corners. I can't stop thinking about what happened. _Why wouldn't Beca leave? What was that Velcro sound? What just happened? I will find out Saturday? Why couldn't she just tell me now? _

All these questions and more run through my head as I try to comprehend what just happened. After a while I remember the conversation that we had earlier, about how we promised not to blow up on each other once we found out each other's secrets. Well, I broke that quickly, and I didn't even find out her secret! I hope she doesn't do the same to me when she finds out about my past. I feel bad now. Why did I have to blow up on her? I guess it was a spur of the moment adrenaline thing. That's all I'm hoping it is. I fall asleep, thinking about all these things.

I wake up the next morning feeling worse than I did the night before. Beca is up already with all of her clothes on and all her stuff packed.

"Hey, why are you leaving so soon?" I ask her.

"It's 9:30. I have a doctor's appointment at 10:30, remember?" She says coldly.

"Oh, yeah." I say back "Hey, I'm sorry about last night. It was some kind of spur of the moment adrenaline thing. I didn't mean to blow up on you. I just don't like you hiding things from me."

Beca's gaze drifts off of me and then back. "Thanks. See you at the lock-in tonight, okay?"

"Okay." I reply back, feeling a little better.

The rest of the day passes by slowly, waiting for the lock-in to come, waiting just another day until I find out Beca's secret, and just another day until she finds out mine.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again all! I am so sorry, I've been bad and I updated a day late. I had a super busy day yesterday, so I didn't get the chance to update. :( Well, never fear! Your chapter is here! I think I might actually switch update days from Sunday and Wednesday to Monday and Thursday. I like to do this at work when I have time, and I just rescheduled my days to Monday, Thursday, and Friday. So yay or nay? Let me know! Thanks smw48910 for reviewing and thanks for the favorites and follows! Please rate and review! Till next time!**

Chapter 13-Beca POV

I am sitting in the waiting room in my doctor's office. I see some familiar faces, but mostly keep to myself. I am finally called in and they lead me to a room where I wait some more.

My doctor comes in and says "Hey Rebecca! How have you been?"

I reply with "Pretty good. And please, call me Beca."

"Okay, Beca. Has anything been hurting you? Anything bothering you? Anything happen?"

I bring up how Chloe stepped on my foot and I didn't feel it, so he decides to check it out. We get a couple X-rays done and he says there may be a slight sprain, but nothing bad. He says I can walk on it as usual only if I wear my orthosis.

"That won't be a problem."

"Well, that's it Beca! Thanks!" He gives me a lollipop and my mom and I leave to go get some lunch.

My mom and I go to Sonic and we eat and talk in the car.

"So, how did Chloe step on your foot?" She asks.

"Oh, well it was dark in her room, and I guess she didn't see it there. I was lying on the blow-up mattress they set out for me and she just stepped on it. I didn't realize what she had done until she apologized for it."

"Oh, did she know that your orthosis was off?"

"No." I reply.

"She should have. Did she see you take it off?" my mom asks.

"No… Um… I have a confession."

"What did you do this time?"

"Nothing! I swear!" I reassure her.

"Then what is it?" she asks curiously.

"Chloe doesn't know."

"Doesn't know about what?"

"The accident, the nerve damage, the orthosis, none of it."

"What? I thought you told each other everything. How have you kept this from her for 5 years?" my mom asks.

"I honestly don't know. There have been some close calls too. Like last night, the sirens went off and Chloe wouldn't go down to the basement without me so I made her turn around while I put it on and hid it. I think she is pretty close to catching on now."

My mom has this weird look on her face. It's like a mix of astonishment and anger. We eat the rest of our lunch in silence.

When we get home, I pack for the lock-in. I pack pants, pants, and more pants. I do manage to put a pair of shorts in there too. I had to try them on first since I haven't worn shorts in almost 5 years.

I grab a sleeping bag, a bag with my toothbrush and stuff like that in it, and my paper for If You Really Knew Me printed out.

_I'm ready. _I think to myself. _I'm ready to tell the world… or at least 6 people in it…_ And for the first time, I'm actually looking forward to this lock-in.

5:30 rolls around and I head over to the church for dinner. Chloe and I get there at about the same time, so we walk in together. We set our bags down and head over to where Jesse is and grab a couple slices of pizza.

"So how was your doctor's appointment?" Chloe asks me.

"Good, he gave me a lollipop." I say.

We talk to each other to make sure we both have everything we need. Turns out we do and by the time our conversation is over, all 6 of us have arrived. We all finish our dinner and start the worship service.

We sing a few songs and then Jesse says part one of the sermon we will be learning this weekend. After we finish with the sermon, it is 8'o clock. The next thing we do is play Psychiatrist.

Chloe is selected first to be the Psychiatrist and we all decide we are going to act like we are in the Hunger Games since it's her favorite movie. Thank goodness someone volunteered to be Peeta before me, because once I tell my If You Really Knew Me that would become kind of awkward for everyone. Chloe guesses it almost immediately and Amy is next.

The problem this time is that we are all pregnant women, well, except for the guys. Aubrey all of a sudden starts screaming "It's coming! AHHHHHHH!" and Amy has this look of pure terror on her face. We all start cheering when she's done screaming and Amy says "Are you all bi-polar?" After she said that, we all started laughing. We emphasized our giant bellies and she finally guessed that we were all pregnant. I am picked to be the next Psychiatrist and I walk out of the room.

When they call me back in, they are all screaming "LOOK OUT! IT'S BEHIND YOU!" I had no idea what to think, so I just let them play along with it some more before I start to ask any questions. They start talking to these invisible things that aren't there, and I hear a lot of screaming, so I come up with something random and guess "Do you all have evil imaginary friends?" They cheer and tell me I got it right. We play a couple more rounds of this and then go to bed.

"We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." I tell Chloe. She agrees and then we say goodnight.

I lay in my sleeping bag knowing that this will be the last day that Chloe and I will know each other like this without thinking about our pasts whenever we see each other, without thinking that both of us are perfect little matches for each other, and without knowing that we are both as far from normal as it gets. I look over to Chloe and say to myself "It was nice knowing you. I hope you don't think too badly of me when you find out." I look down to my leg and then close my eyes, drifting off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello again my beautiful nerds! I have decided that I will start updating Monday and Thursday now. It would be a lot easier on my life right now! I want to thank all of those that have followed and favorite! Still not reviews, sad, but I hope you are liking this story, and it will continue! We have 8 chapters left, so another month and this story will be finished! Thanks again, and I will see you on Monday!**

Chapter 14- Chloe POV

I spend the day getting ready for the lock-in. I gather my makeup, my clothes, my toothbrush and toothpaste, and anything else I would need. I make sure not to forget my If You Really Knew Me paper. As my mom picks over my things to make sure I have everything, she comes across my If You Really Knew Me paper and starts to read it.

"I thought you were supposed to write about something no one knows about you. Beca already knows this." I look to the ground.

"Doesn't she?"

I hesitate. _Should I tell her the truth or not? _

"No, she doesn't." I reply.

"How have you kept something like this from her for so long? I thought you knew everything about each other!"

"Yeah, I know. I've just been too embarrassed to talk about it. And I don't think Beca has told me everything either. We kind of have this unspoken agreement that we don't talk about our pasts with each other. I think it's a hard topic for the both of us."

"So, this is the way you're telling her?" my mom asks.

"Well, yeah. I think she is telling about hers, so I want to do the same, and if she gets angry with me and wants to beat me up I will have witnesses." I tell her. She just shakes her head and leaves.

_We will be able to cope, I just know it._ I pack up all my things and head over to the church.

Beca and I arrive at the same time, so we walk in together. We place our bags at the designated area. We eat and talk a little bit and then start our service.

We sing a few songs, well I sing them. Beca doesn't like to sing. I try to make her sometimes, but she just shakes it off. I've heard her sing sometimes in a whisper when we all sing together, and I think she would be good if she just sang out with more confidence. That was a whisper though, she could be bad, but I think she would be really good.

Jesse goes over this sermon and when he finishes we play Psychiatrist. I'm selected to be the Psychiatrist first, so I step out of the room.

When I come back everyone has scooted away their chairs, but has left one with a box of pizza on it. There are a few Coke cans scattered around it, and everyone is standing in a circle. I know immediately what this is, but I let them count down and run towards the pizza and then run over to different corners of the church.

I yell out "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be EVER in your favor!" in the best Capitol accent I can.

Everyone cheers and then comes back to their seats.

"Couldn't you have guessed sooner? I don't like vertical running!" Amy says.

We all laugh and then Amy is picked next.

We all decide to be pregnant women and I sit down and accentuate my belly. I pretend to rub my imaginary bump and she comes in.

I say "I'm craving some pickles and ice cream!"

Beca puts her hand on my imaginary baby bump and says "Oh! It's kicking!"

I jump when all of a sudden Aubrey starts screaming "It's coming! AHHHHHHH!"

Amy looks terrified and when Aubrey is done screaming we all cheer for her newborn.

Amy says "Are you all bi-polar?" I don't think there was one person that didn't laugh at that.

We emphasized our bellies some more and she finally figured out that we were pregnant. We cheered and then it was Beca's turn.

We pretended that we all had evil hallucinations and that went flawlessly. She guesses it correctly though after a few minutes and then it is time for us to go to bed.

Once Beca and I pick out our room and get ready in the bathroom down the hall Beca tells me "We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

I say "Amen to that." and we tell each other goodnight.

I just can't help but think that this will be Beca and I's last normal day together. We will get used to the secrets we share, and that will eventually become the new normal.

I hear Beca talking to herself but I don't turn around. I bring my hand up to where my scar is and rub the makeup off. I stroke it with my finger, remembering all the memories that went along with it, and think to myself. _Finally! I can get all of these memories taken off my chest, and I won't have to hide any of this from Beca anymore. _I push my side bangs over the scar and fall asleep.

The next morning I wake up to Jesse telling us with a bullhorn at the end of the hall "Good morning everybody! Time to wake up!"

I open my eyes to see Beca is already up and ready. I make sure my scar is hidden under my bangs before I call Beca's name.

"Hey, why are you up so early?" I ask her.

"Oh, I usually get up at like 6:30 every morning. Force of habit I guess." I look over to the clock and notice it's 7:00.

"Okay. You're done getting ready, I'm guessing?"

"Yup, bathroom's all yours!" She tells me.

"Great!" I reply.

Now is the time I am grateful that Jesse gave us each a separate time for the bathroom so we wouldn't overcrowd it. Beca and I were first on the list, but since she is already ready, I don't have to worry about trying to hide my scar while putting on makeup. I come out 10 minutes later for the next group to come in. Once we are all done, we head downstairs to the sanctuary for breakfast.

We start off the day with some music to get us going. We then play some board games and a few more rounds of Psychiatrist. After we have fun for half the day, it's time for the serious portion.

Everybody calms down, thinking about If You Really Knew Me, and Jesse starts another sermon. He starts to talk about 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

It says "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it us not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."

Jesse starts to explain how we need to put this is action, especially tonight.

"No matter what we find out tonight about each other, no matter how we feel about the secrets we share, no matter how we feel about each other when we are done, remember this passage and put it to use." Jesse says to us all.

"Now, it's time for what everyone has been waiting for, If You Really Knew Me. I know that no one will volunteer to go first, so we will pull names out of a hat. If you don't have your papers with you, go get them."

Jesse tells us. We all go get our papers and bring them back. Jesse positions all of us in a circle and we get started. He runs his hand through the hat and pulls out a slip of paper; all of us are on the edge of our seats as he unfolds it.

"Fat Amy." Jesse says.

We all look up at Amy, who doesn't have a paper, and she gets started.

"If you really knew me, you'd know that my real name is Fat Patricia." she said with a concerned smile.

We nod, all expecting more from her, but we get none.

"Okay." Jesse says.

He puts his hand back in the hat and pulls out another name. "Ashley."

Ashley pulls her paper up on her phone and reads it with a blank face.

"If you r-really knew me, y-you'd know why I don't really t-talk much."

We all nod, waiting for her to continue.

"I-If you haven't already noticed, I-I have a stutter." _Oh, I just thought she was nervous. That explains a bunch..._

"I u-used to talk, b-but I got made fun of s-so much when I was younger that I-I just quit talking to anyone outside m-my home. S-sometimes I wish I c-could communicate with you all, b-because you seem like nice people. It's j-just that I-I was so used to being m-made fun of I j-just kept quiet. I-It's not that I d-don't like you, I j-just don't like m-myself."

We all nod our heads and Stacie, our youth leader's wife, chimes in.

"I know how you feel, my friend is the same. She stuttered too, and got made fun of. I would always get made fun of when I was around her. She was one of my only friends, so I stuck with her. There will always be someone there to stand behind you, and I bet you have 7 of those people sitting in this circle right now. Don't worry, there's always a brighter day ahead."

Ashley says thanks to Stacie and they hug.

Jesse pulls the next name out of the hat and reads it aloud "Chloe."

I immediately feel my heart sink to my stomach. I unfold my paper, and get started.


	15. Chapter 15

** Hello people of FanFiction! Here's the next installment of this story! It is what you have been waiting for! Sorry it's so short, but I feel like where I ended it was right. Thanks to all the new follows and favorites! Also, thank you Whatizthiz and LOVINGTHIS (Guest) for the awesome reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter! See you on Thursday!**

Chapter 15-Beca POV

The next day we play a couple games until we do If You Really Knew Me. When that time comes, Jesse tells us to put the chairs in a circle and get the papers we wrote. Time passes by and I barely remember any of the stories. It's not until Chloe's name is called that I pay attention.

I see her start to get nervous across from me as she grabs her paper and unfolds it. _Here we go... _I think to myself.

I see Chloe take a deep breath and she begins. "If you really knew me, you'd know that when I was younger, my dad use to abuse me and my mom." _What?_ _I know her dad died a while back, but I always pictured them as one big happy family…_

"My dad died of alcohol poisoning before we came here. We moved because my mom and I wanted to get away from the bad memories the town and the house held. He would hit us and yell at us and do anything you could ever imagine. I would go to school with some kind of bruise or cut on me and people would wonder what happened. Every single time people asked what happened, I would tell them I tripped and fell onto something. I would get called names at school like Klutz or sometimes worse. I would get bullied every day at school and then I'd come home to my dad's abuse every night. I couldn't escape it. Not at school, not at home, not even in my sleep.

"No matter how hard I try to forget what happened, I can't. I wake up screaming every night from nightmares about his abuse. There is one that reoccurs more than others."

Chloe then licks her thumb, brings it up over her left eye, and then wipes the makeup off. What is underneath surprises me. There's this awful looking scar. I'm not sure what it was from, but it looks gruesome.

Chloe continues, "It's about the time I got this scar. My dad came home from work late. He was really angry and drunk because he got fired that day for going to work under the influence. He comes in screaming and my mom walks out of the kitchen where we are preparing dinner to go see what was happening. They both walked into the kitchen yelling at each other. They are still yelling at each other until he looks over and notices me. He comes over to me, throws me onto the floor, and pins me there with his hands on my shoulders and his legs pinning down my knees. He starts to yell at me about the most random thing. I lay on the ground and every time he says something, I can smell the alcohol on his breath. Every time I try to escape, the harder he digs into my shoulders and the harder he presses down. He is just about to punch me when my mom says something across the room to avert his attention from me. My dad's attention turns away from her and I manage to escape, but he grabs my bicep and dislocates my right shoulder. I yelp in pain and that makes him angrier, so he starts to scream in my face more. My mom yells at him again and he finally lets go of me and goes over to her.

"I cradle my arm with my left hand and watch my dad punch my mom in the gut repeatedly. I scream at him to stop and he turns back around to me. He throws his pocket knife at me and goes back screaming at my mom. I tried to dodge the knife, but I was too late and it made a 2 inch gash above my left eye. I'm blinded by all the blood streaming down my face when I try to look over to my mom. My dad throws her to the ground and storms out of the house. I manage to stand up and walk over to her, but I only make it halfway before I black out.

"I wake up in the hospital with my head in a bandage and my arm in a sling. They tell me that I lost a lot of blood, so I would have to stay overnight. I ask how my mom is and the nurse tells me that she's fine, just a couple of bruised ribs. I go home the day after and my dad doesn't appear back until a few nights after. A couple weeks later he went out to drink and drank a little too much. The ambulance didn't make it to him in time, and he died of alcohol poisoning. By the time we moved here, all my bruises had healed up and I got the stitches out of my head. My arm was still in the sling, but I was told that I would be out of it by the time school started.

"When I moved here, I was determined to make something else of myself. I was determined to make sure I wasn't that Klutz everyone called me. I made a whole new image of myself."

When I hear all of this I am in awe. All kinds of thoughts are running through my head, but the one popping up most is _how did she keep this a secret for so long?! _What comes next almost brings me to tears.

Chloe looks up at me, with a single tear running down her cheek, scar in full view, and says in a shaky voice "The reason I hid my past and kept this a secret for such a long time was because I was ashamed of it. I didn't want people thinking about me or treating me differently because they knew about it. I didn't have a pretty past, I didn't have a past I am proud of, but it has made me who I am today, and it has made me a stronger person." She closes her paper and looks back up at me.

She wants to say so much more, but I already know what she wants to say. All I do is get up from my seat, she gets up from hers, and I give her a big hug.

Chloe whispers in my ear "Thank you, for everything you've done for me." That is when I break. We stand there holding each other silently crying for a few minutes and then we go and sit back down. I wipe the tears away from my face and then that dreaded time comes. The name Jesse pulls out of the hat is mine.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello all! Here's the long awaited update! Sorry if this seems a little rushed in the AN, but my computer is about to restart to download updates and it's like a ticking time bomb right now, so hopefully I can get this posted before that happens. If you are reading this, I have succeeded and I did not blow up! (Actually, I did blow up. Right as I was about to click post new chapter, it decided to restart... That's my life!)Thanks to all the Favorites and Follows! Also thanks to Aca-Geek, Iwillforgetthisl8er, and smw48910 for reviewing! Until Monday! :)**

Chapter 16- Chloe POV

I share my story, and by the time I'm done it feels like an enormous weight is lifted off my shoulders. After I put away my story, Beca and I hug and I thank her for being there for me. We both then sit down and tears are streaming down both of our faces. I'm not prepared when Beca's name is called next.

I ask Jesse if we can have a short break just so I can prepare, and he grants my wish. We take a 5 minute break and then come back.

By the time we come back, I have calmed myself down and cried out all my tears. I sit down across from Beca and she pulls out her paper. She takes a deep breath and then begins.

"If you really knew me, you would know that I'm… different." _This is going to be interesting._

"When I was 11, I got into a car accident that changed my life forever. I was on my way home from a school soccer game. I was one of the star players, and my teammates and I were going out to a victory dinner. We all took separate cars and on the way to the restaurant. When the light turned green at the stoplight and we pulled out our car got T-boned by a drunk driver. I was on the side they hit and I got stuck in the car.

"My right foot was stuck in between the door and the seat in front of me. My mom was okay, but I wasn't." I'm on the edge of my seat when Beca leans down and pulls up her right pant leg.

Right as I see it, my mouth drops. There is some kind of brace on her leg and I'm not sure what it is, but after I get myself together, that's when all the details start to come together.

Beca sighs and then continues, "The car accident gave me a severe concussion and irreversible nerve damage in my right foot. I woke up in the hospital a few weeks later and the first thing I noticed was that I couldn't feel my foot. I had thought the worst, but then my mom explained what happened to me and told me that I was going to be okay. She told me that later that day I had to have more surgery, but they didn't think that it would have to be amputated. Right then, I knew my life would never be the same.

"As I layed there in the hospital for a few weeks more, all I could think about was what I lost. I was an all-star soccer player with a bright future. I had friends that accepted me for who I was, but after the accident all I felt was their pity towards me.

"Kids would stare in the halls, whisper things to each other, and call me names. Everyone knew what happened to me. The problem was, I kept focusing on what I lost. I never focused on what was good. I met all kinds of new friends, just like me, in support groups. I ended up moving here because my dad got another job to pay off the medical bills. And out of that I met my best friend and all of you.

"Now you all know why I can't do certain activities with you all. Now you all know why I act weird in certain movies when there's a tough scene with lots of blood. Now you all know my dirty little secret. I just hope that you will treat me like you always have, I hope you don't treat me like I'm an invalid and take pity on me. I know that you all probably see me differently now, but I am the same old Beca. The only thing that's different is that you know my past, the one that I've hidden from you all for 5 years. I don't know how I've done it and believe me, there have been some close calls but I kept with it. Just remember that I did this not to disrespect you, and I didn't do this because I thought you could not be trusted, I did this because I was ashamed of who I was and what had happened to me. I know now that this is what makes me, me and I'm no longer ashamed."

_What in the world have I just heard? _I think to myself. I feel all of these emotions rising up within me. Anger, sadness, confusion, sympathy, but worst of all, humility. Almost every day I would make fun of her for wearing pants, or I would make fun of her for being so quiet and to herself. Now I understand! All of the pieces are coming together! She wears pants to hide it, she doesn't do some of our running activities because she can't, she got all fidgety when I mentioned she was like Peeta, and she couldn't feel it when I stepped on her foot because of the nerve damage. All kinds of things run through my head.

I guess I zoned out because by the time I come back to reality, everyone has shared their stories. No one tried to snap me out of it, so I guess they either didn't notice or they thought I needed my time.

We finish up our game and they tell us to go get ready for bed because next we are just watching a movie. Beca and I go change in our room. The air is tense and we don't talk.

To my surprise Beca puts on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. _I didn't even think she owned a pair of shorts! _

I let it be and we go watch a movie. It turns out that it's Soul Surfer, the one about the girl who got her arm bit off by a shark. Throughout the movie, I think about how this relates to Beca and I. When Bethany comes home for the first time after the attack I think _that could have been Beca…_ and when Bethany's friend Alana wakes up from the shark nightmare I think _that's me… _

Beca with her disability, and me with my post-traumatic stress, we might as well be the leaders of the freak parade. I'm just happy I know her secret, but I desperately want to know more…


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello again people! I hope you like this update! Sorry it's not super long, but it's not super short either. Thanks to all the new favorites and follows! Thanks to Iwillforgetthisl8r and foxyfox (Guest) for the super awesome reviews! We are on the 17 out of 22 chapters! We are almost done! Only 5 more chapters, so in 2 weeks, this story will be ending. :( I hope to see you Thursday! **

**P.S. I am planning on updating Thursday, but on Thursday I am helping set up for my JROTC Military Ball. I kind of have to since I'm on Command & Staff, but I hope to post a chapter! Who knows?! Maybe it will be earlier in the day! Well, I hope you like this one anyways!**

Chapter 17- Beca POV

I share my story and immediately feel what has been on my chest for so long leave. It's a good feeling, but I'm not sure how Chloe took it. All I see her doing is staring at my AFO. I think she is stunned.

While she looks down at my orthosis, I look at her scar. It must have been a big knife because that cut looks like it was bad. I want to learn more, and I want to tell her more, but that will have to wait. I want her to ask the questions first so I can make sure I don't intrude.

Chloe has just completely zoned out and I don't think she realizes it until everyone is done sharing their stories. _I wonder what she is thinking about. Does she hate me now? I hope she doesn't baby me and take pity on me like the others did. I hope she doesn't think she has to be careful with me, I'm tougher than she is! How will our views of each other change now? Will we ever get back to the way we used to be? I don't think that's an option… I hope this is good for our friendship. _

Jesse tell us that we are going to watch a movie so we should go out on our PJs. Chloe and I go upstairs to where we are sleeping and change. We change in silence and I decide to put on the pair of gym shorts I packed. I turn around and Chloe has finished. She seems to be surprised that I actually own a pair of shorts, but she still doesn't say anything.

We go downstairs and Jesse puts on Soul Surfer. Chloe and I sit next to each other because that's what we usually do. We sit there in silence while the movie plays. I can tell that she is in deep thought and I can't help but think that it's about me.

_It's okay. _I think to myself. _She just needs time to take it in. If it had been the other way around, I'd be flustered about it too. _

The movie finishes and by the time it's over it's 10:30.

Jesse says "Today has been an interesting day. We have learned so much about each other and we have grown closer as a group. I ask one thing of you. People kept their feelings a secret for a reason, and we found out a bunch about each other in our activity. I trust that what has been said is confidential and stays within the group." We all nod in agreement and then Jesse sends us off to bed.

Chloe and I go upstairs, brush our teeth, and lay out our sleeping bags. I take off my orthosis in front of her, not afraid to hide it anymore, and she watches as I do it. Her eyes widen when she realizes just how weak my leg really is and then she gets up, turns out the light, and crawls into her sleeping bag.

We are both facing the wall, back to back, and I think she's asleep until I hear her say in a small voice I've never heard her use before "That night, when the sirens went off, you couldn't walk, could you?"

I flashback to that night earlier this week when Chloe woke me up because of the storm. She told me to go down to the basement and she wasn't going to leave until I came with her, but I didn't have my orthosis on and she had to toss me my bag with it in it.

I try to think of the right thing to say, but I end up saying "No." quietly back to her.

It's really quiet again and then I decide to ask her a question. "When I was over that night, is your scar the reason why you wouldn't take off your makeup?"

She ponders over it for a minute and then says "Yes."

We both sit there in silence, waiting for the other one to ask another question, but it never happens. We both end up drifting off to sleep with a million questions hanging in the air.

The next day we end up having youth church upstairs so we can finish our sermon. When it's time for worship, I feel something I've never felt before. Serenity. This calmness overwhelms me and I end up singing louder than I ever have.

When that song is over I open my eyes and realize that everyone is staring at with their mouths agape. I'm confused and I ask "What?"

Chloe's beside me and she says "Your singing! It's amazing! Why have you never done it before?"

I am surprised when she tells me this. I knew I was an okay singer, but I didn't think I was that good.

"I just never thought I was that good. And I didn't want to draw attention to myself." I replied.

"Well, you need to do this more often!" Chloe said back.

They make me sing a song in front of them and I choose How He Loves. By the last chorus they are all singing along. The thing I didn't see coming was that they made me the new youth worship leader.

We sing a couple more songs and then have our sermon. After the sermon is done, we all hug and say our goodbyes and our thank yous and by then it's time to go home.

When I get home, I change into some shorts so I can get a little more comfortable. I go downstairs and grab some lunch and while I'm eating, all I can think of is last night and this morning. Until I started singing, the tension between Chloe and I was unbearable. I wonder if our friendship will ever be the same, or continue for that matter.

After I finish eating, I go upstairs and go on my computer. I sit in my room on my computer waiting for Chloe to get on IM. I have so many things to tell her, but I want to do it in person.

I don't have to wait long, because Chloe messages me almost immediately. "Hey, can I come over? I want to talk." I agree and I hear the doorbell ring less than 5 minutes later.

Chloe is at the door with a bag and I invite her in.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! So, I did end up updating today! I meant to do it in my study hall, but I got obsessed with reading FanFiction and watching Gravity (Yup, I'm one of those space/syfy nerds...) Thanks for the follows and favorites! Only 4 more chapters (AKA 2 weeks) and then this story will be complete! I have not had any requests to continue and make a sequel or a prequel, so that is not up in the works right now. Thanks for reading! See you Monday! (P.S. I will tell you how my JROTC ball goes then!) **

Chapter 18-Chloe POV

We finish the movie and Jesse tells us to all gather in a circle. He tells us that he is proud of us for sharing our stories and that they should be confidential. After that, he sends us off to bed. Beca and I brush our teeth and after that we go back to the room and lay out our sleeping bags.

As I get my pillow out, I watch Beca take off her orthosis. I would have thought it took a long time to do it, but it takes her only seconds. I'm guessing that's because she has had five years of practice. She lays it down next to her and I can't help myself from being surprised when I see her leg underneath. Her foot is all scarred up and her leg is so thin and weak from not using it. I'm surprised it doesn't break with every step she takes.

I must have some kind of surprised expression on my face because Beca has this weird ashamed look on hers, but she quickly wipes it way, not wanting to show her real feelings to me anymore.

_I wonder if we will ever be the same again. _

Beca tucks herself into her sleeping bag, so I go turn out the lights. I walk on the other side of the room on my way back so I don't step on Beca's frail leg, being afraid that if I do I will break it. We both end up facing opposite to each other.

I remember the night earlier this week when Beca and I had to go down to the basement because of the storm, and what had played out after that. I'm hoping she's asleep, but I have to put this out into the air.

"That night, when the sirens went off, you couldn't walk, could you?" I say in the voice I only used with my mother after my dad abused us, trying to tell her that I was okay.

This lingers in the air for a moment and I'm relieved because I think she is asleep. My assumption was wrong because a minute later I hear her take in a deep breath and say "No." quietly back.

"Is your scar the reason you wouldn't take off your makeup?"

I think for a second and then say "Yes."

I sit there and wait for her to ask another question, but the time never comes, so we drift off to sleep, thinking about how our lives will change.

The next morning we wake up and have church upstairs so we can finish our sermon. We worship and then all of a sudden I hear this voice next to me. It gets louder and louder and I think it sounds amazing. I look over and see it's Beca and almost fall to the ground in astonishment.

When we finish the song, I look over to Beca with a huge smile on my face. She finally gets out of the trance she is in and looks up to me with a confused look on her face.

"What?" she asks.

I am about to tell her off, but I decide against it. "Your singing! It's amazing! Why have you never done that before?"

She looks surprised and says "I just never thought I was that good. And I didn't want to draw attention to myself."

I then make her sing a song in front of us and by the time she is done I am blown away. The youth group then decides to make her our new youth worship leader and then Jesse starts on his sermon.

When we are done, we all go our separate ways, knowing a little more about the shoes our peers walk in and are all a little bit closer. I'm just not positive about that closer part with Beca and I though.

After I get home, I go up to my room and get comfortable. I desperately want to talk to Beca. Not just so I can learn more things about her story, but so I can tell her more about mine. Now that I have the hard part of breaking the news to her, I feel like I can tell her anything. I just hope she doesn't hate me so much she ignores me.

I decide to get on IM so I can see if I can chat with her. I see that she is already logged on, probably waiting for me, so I immediately type

**CHLOE: Hey, can I come over? I want to talk.**

**BECA: Yeah, I want to do the same.**

I'm both relieved and anxious at the same time. _What am I going to talk about? Will I make the first move, or will she? What should I ask her? What will she ask me? _

As I'm walking out the door, I think of something to do. I run up to the attic and grab some old memory books. I put them in a bag and head over to Beca's.

I get there in record time, even though she is only three doors down from me, and ring the doorbell. Beca answers almost instantly and I notice she is wearing shorts again. _So she does own more than one pair of shorts._ She invites me in and we head up to her room.

I set down my bag next to me on the floor and sit there. I'm about to say something when Beca speaks up.

"What did you want to talk about?"

I contemplate for a minute and then say "You. Me. Us."

"Okay, do you want me to start, or do you want to go for it?"

"I'll start." I reach into my bag and grab one of the books. "This is one of my old memory books. It was of before my dad started hitting us. It's basically all my happy memories before I moved here."

Beca just nods in consent and I turn open the page. The first picture is of when we went to Disney World when I was 7. My breath hitched as I see it, and Beca notices.

"You know we don't have to do this is you don't want to."

I shake my head, trying to rid my tears, and then say "No, I want to." and flip the page. The next few pictures I describe to her before she starts to ask questions.

"And this picture is when we all went to the Grand Canyon, we had just spotted a lizard when-"

"When did this start happening?" Beca asks.

"When did what start happening?"

"The hitting…"

I take a deep breath to compose myself and finally say "When I was 9 my dad lost his job, the only thing he thought he could do to get it off his mind was drink. He went to the closest bar and grabbed a newspaper to look through the wanted ads. He got a little too hung up in things and came home drunk. My mom got mad at him and he didn't like that, so he slapped her. At first the hitting was only like once a month. Then it got weekly. And by the end of it I was getting abused somehow at least once a day."

Beca looks like she started staring off into space and then just says "Okay."

I take another deep breath and close the book because I can't keep on pretending I'm happy.

"What about you?" I ask her.

"What about me? I wasn't abused."

"No, I mean do you have any memory books?"

She thinks about it and then says "I'm not sure. I think my mom had a folder of my soccer stuff she kept. Pictures, articles, stuff like that. Want me to grab it?"

I really want to see it, but she might not be ready to open up yet, so I say "Only if you want to get it."

She nods and walks away. I want to ask more about that night when we had to go down to the basement, but I don't know where to begin. After about 5 minutes of my thinking to myself, Beca walks back in with a manila folder that seems pretty thick.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello again! I know, I updated a day late, I'm a bad person! We had a snow day yesterday, and I didn't have to go to work, so I kinda forgot about it... Whoops! Well, we are now down to the final 4 chapters! So, by the end of next week, this story will be complete! It kind of makes me sad... Thanks for the follows and favorites! There have been no reviews for the past 2 chapters, so get to it! Thanks for the support and I will see you Thursday! :)**

Chapter 19-Beca POV

After Chloe comes in she shows he some stuff in her scrapbook. I all of a sudden have this urge to ask her about her dad. I don't realize what I've said until it's out in the air.

"When did this start happening?"

She seems confused at first, so I clarify "The hitting…" and surprisingly she opens up to me.

I wasn't expecting what she was saying, and it breaks my heart to hear all of that. _Once a day?! _She must have seen me zone out, because she has this worried look on her face. She then asks if I have any memory books and this folder that my mom kept comes to mind. It's not a memory book, but it could do.

"I'm not sure. I think my mom had a folder of my soccer stuff she kept. You know, pictures, articles, stuff like that. Want me to grab it?"

Chloe gets this excited look in her eyes, so I assume that is a yes.

She then hesitantly says "Only if you want to get it." I nod and then go downstairs.

I search though the filing cabinets in the office and find a manila folder titled 'Beca'. I flip open the first page and see some of my soccer pictures and articles. I know I have come across the right folder and I head back upstairs.

When I get back into my room, I see Chloe staring at the floor with that thinking face on again. I sit down and slap the folder on the ground.

Chloe looks up at me and says "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I take a deep breath and say "Yeah, I had to do this sooner or later. Might as well get it done now."

I flip open the folder and the first thing in there is an article about my old school's soccer team making it to state.

I show it to Chloe and she says "Wow. Y'all must have been pretty good."

I nod with a small smile on my face and say "Yeah. We were. We were the best the school ever had. We almost won state too."

"You didn't win?" she asks me. I shake my head.

"No. Our starter goalie tore her ACL on the field blocking a shot. We had to put a bench warmer in and then we lost 2-4. It was a pretty good game though. Probably one of the favorites I ever played." Chloe nods and then we continue.

The next thing is a picture of me playing and a picture of me with some of my friends.

I am about to turn the page when Chloe says "Why don't you still keep in touch with them? I've never heard you talk about them." I ponder the right thing to say, and then speak.

"I couldn't stand to look at them anymore. I felt like I abandoned them. Then when I got back to school, they kept giving me these sorry looks. I don't know if it's because they missed me at practice or if they just felt sorry for me. I assumed it was the latter and got tired of their glances. They tried talking to me, saying that they missed me and stuff, and how I should come by practice one day. I just shrugged at them and said 'Maybe later.'

"After a while I just stopped talking to them, and they stopped talking to me. I closed them off. And now I'm afraid, if I try to get back in touch with them, they won't want to hear from me."

Chloe says with a grin "If I were you, I would give it shot."

I shake my head and say "It's been almost 5 years. They probably won't even remember me. I don't even know where to contact them. It's not like I have a Facebook or anything."

Chloe gets up, grabs her laptop, and sits back down. "Well, you never know until you try. And don't let that stop you! Here, we will go on mine, and if you find them, we will send them a message."

"Well don't you think it would be weird if they randomly got a message from a random person they didn't know saying 'Hey, this is Beca, I know I pushed you away 5 years ago and stopped talking, but now that I live 500 miles away, I'd like to rekindle our relationship!'" I say in a sarcastic tone.

Chloe scoffs and says "Hey! Don't use that tone with me! And if we do find them, they probably have their IM account or phone number in their info box."

Chloe logs onto her Facebook and I look for the three friends I pushed away so long ago. Turns out they are on there and two of them have an IM and one has their phone number.

"See!" Chloe says, "I told you! Now log onto your IM and message them!"

"I don't know about this Chloe. Can't I just do this later?" I ask.

"NO! Because I know you! You will put it off and then when I leave you won't do it! Here" she says, grabbing the laptop off my lap.

"I will just message them for you. What was it you said again?"

Fear takes over me and I say "Nope, I will do it. But I will only do one at a time! I don't want them getting together and being like 'I got messaged by Beca last night, remember her?' and then gossiping about me."

"Okay then…" Chloe says with a sigh, "Which one were you closest to?" I point to the IM titled Allyson.

"She was my best friend, we did everything together. She reminds me a lot of you. I think that's why I get along so easily with you." I smile at the memory of when I first met Chloe.

_She fooled me for a second, because I thought she was Allyson. She comes up to me and says "Hi, I'm Chloe. Can you show me around? I'm new here." _

_I'm shocked that she came up to me and that anyone is even talking to me at all. I look up to this perky girl with firey red hair that is almost the spitting image of Allyson. I look up with a lopsided grin on my face and say "Sorry, but I won't be much help to you. I'm new here too." _

_She then snakes her arm around my own and says "Well, we can learn together." _

_Since then, we have been friends. For some reason it was easier to talk to her than to other people. When others talked to me, I would give short answers or not even talk to them at all, but with Chloe I would talk my head off._

I sit there smiling to myself for a while and then Chloe waves her hand in front of me and says "Hey! Earth to Beca! Are you going to do this, or am I?"

I snap out of my trance and say "Yeah… Okay I'll do it."

I look at the computer screen with the IM pulled up. I take a deep breath and start typing. 'Hey, you might not know who this is, but it's Beca. Sorry I haven't talked to you in a long time, I've just felt really guilty for the way I treated you, and I thought it was time to tell you that. Thanks. –Beca Mitchell'

I look up to Chloe and say "How's that?"

She shrugs and says "It's kind of professional for your best friend, but I've learned that that is just you, so hit enter."

I hit enter and the IM is sent.

I take a big sigh and then Chloe says "Where were we?"

I look down at the folder in front of me, and after we go through over half the papers, the next thing I see makes my stomach flip.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello again! I hope you all don't mind that I updated a little later during the day! I was unable to finish it at work, but it's on here now! I can't believe that this will be over in a week! That's so sad! Well, thanks to BardenBellaBeca for reviewing! Thanks to all the new follows and favorites! I hoe you enjoy this new chapter and I will see you on Monday! :)**

Chapter 20- Chloe POV

Beca and I go through some of the stuff in her memory folder and I even convince her to message her old best friend. We go through some more papers until I notice Beca get really pale.

"What is it?" I ask her.

She just shakes her head and swallows hard. "I don't remember this being in here."

I lean over to get a better look and gasp at what I see. There's a hunk of metal that looks like it's supposed to be a car, but I'm not sure. The title of the article says "One killed, and one critically injured in car crash." I look up to Beca who can't stop staring at the photo.

I say, as softly as possible "Beca?" She doesn't respond.

"Beca?" still no response.

"Beca? Don't make me use your full name!" Nothing.

I sigh and sit there in silence for 30 more seconds.

"Beca?" I try again, "What's the matter?"

She shakes her head and says "I didn't know this was in here. If I had known, I would have said I didn't have a memory book."

I look at her with the most caring eyes I can muster.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She sighs and rubs a hand over her face. "Not really, but you need to know what happened."

I really do, Beca. You have no idea.

I shake my head and say "You don't have to if you don't want to. We can do this another time."

She shakes her head in response and says "You've already seen too much, I have to do this." She takes a big breath in and starts.

"It was March 7th, a Saturday, and my soccer team won a match that we needed to win to get to semi-finals. We all went out for a victory dinner to celebrate and took separate cars. My mom and I were waiting at a stoplight on the way there, and when it turned green, my mom started pulling forward. We were about half way through the intersection when a car coming from the right going probably 70 miles an hour rammed into our car. I don't remember much after that, because I was in and out of consciousness, but I do remember some things. I think it was a little after we got hit.

"I woke up and my mom was almost hysterical. She was trying to get my attention and I let her see I'm awake. She was relieved to see that I was awake, and then I remember this sharp pain coming from my foot. My mom noticed something wrong and she asks me 'Beca, what is it?' and I look at her and just say 'My foot'. She looked down at it and gasped. I don't ever remember looking at it because I think I blacked out again."

Fear courses through me and I look up at Beca, who has not looked up from the picture.

"The next time I wake up the emergency crews were there. They said something to the extent of 'She's stuck, we can't get her out!' and I blacked out again. The next time I woke up was in a hospital room. My mom is sitting to my left, and she looked like she hadn't had sleep in weeks. She noticed me stirring and jumped up from her seat. She looked so happy to see me. She then kept going on and on about how she missed me and how she had been waiting for weeks and how she didn't think I would wake up. I catch only a little bit of that and she saw the confused took on my face and explains the situation.

"'We were in a car accident.' She said. 'You got stuck in-between the seat and the car door in front of you. You've been in a coma for three weeks.' All I remember was the word 'coma' flashing through my mind. And then I feel something odd, like something's missing. My face goes pale and I look down to see my foot in this contraption that I think is something like a halo that they put on a person's head when they don't want them to move it. There were pins sticking out, keeping it still, and I think to myself how much that would hurt. Then I realized that I couldn't feel it.

"I look over to my mom and say 'Mom, why can't I feel my foot?' Her face goes pale and she says 'When your foot got stuck in-between the car and the seat, you lost a lot of blood and there was some nerve damage. They thought for a while that they would have to amputate it, but eventually they decided against it. They have done a few surgeries to fix it, but right now they are saying the damage is too great, that it's irreversible.' The shock of it all hit me so fast, I didn't even have time to cry. The first thing I ask my mom is 'Will I be able to play soccer again?' Tears start to well up in her eyes and she shakes her head. That's when the tears start coming. My mom leans over and gives me a hug. 'What am I going to do?' I thought to myself. 'What will my friends thing of me?' Then another thought occurred to me. I snuggle into my mom's arms and say softly 'Will I even be able to walk again?' When I felt the first motion of a head shake, my stomach turned, but then she continues 'We don't know, Honey. They are going to have to do some more surgeries before we can determine that.'"

Beca is almost crying now, but then she straightens and wipes off her few tears with the back of her hand. I'm about to say something to make her quit, but she continues again.

"After that, I went mute for a while. We don't know why, but the doctors said that sometimes it's common for people in my situation who have heard bad news. Seven surgeries later the doctors said it would be a lot of work, but that I would have a chance of walking again. After about the 2nd month in the hospital, they put me in one of those group session things for people like me who have lost something. I would wheel myself down to the conference room they held it in and I would just sit there. They couldn't really expect much response out of me since I was still mute, but they made me go anyways.

"Finally after about 2 weeks, after I had a bad day at therapy, while one of the other people was talking about how things were looking hopeful, I just snapped and yelled 'Things will not get better! Don't get your hopes up like that!' and some other things. I don't know what that person's reaction was because I just wheeled away after that. They then took me out of group therapy and put me with a one on one doctor named Dr. Payne. She talked to me about things and gave me encouragement and stuff like that. Then finally one day at therapy they decided that me trying to walk on my own was not going to happen, but they were going to transfer me to a different specialist. He was the one that recommended the orthosis and I slowly started to walk on my own.

"I had to use crutches for 6 months, and then I got to where I could walk on my own without them. I still have this limp, which I am surprised you never noticed, but I can walk on my own as long as I have the orthosis on."

I wait for her to keep going, but she doesn't say anything more. She is staring at the picture, but then she looks up at me with sad eyes. _Wow. I think that's the most Beca has opened up to me about anything. I did not think it would be that easy. But still, all that?! That just breaks my heart_.

"I did notice." is all I say. She seems confused, so I clarify.

"The limp, I noticed, but I didn't say anything about it. It just kind of became you, so I eventually stopped noticing it. It has gotten better over the years though."

She kind of smirks, and then says "Well, now you know why."

She looks back at the book and turns the page to continue.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello again! Here it is, the last chapter from Beca's POV. I can't believe the story is almost over. There will be an update on Thursday and then this story will be complete! Do you all think I should do a sequel/prequel set in this world? If so, give me some ideas! Also, if anyone wants to 'adopt' this world to make more stories off of it, just PM me! I'm not super confident in my writing (Dyslexia being a key part of it) and I just posted this because I was tired of being one of those random people on FanFiction that reads and reviews and does nothing else. So, If anyone wants to partner up and make another story based off of this one, be my guest! Thanks to all the follows and favorites! Also, thanks to bechloe-is-titanium and Meg Rules for the reviews! Well, here it is! The second to last chapter (and possibly the longest)! I hope you enjoy it and I will see you one last time on Thursday!**

Chapter 21-Beca POV

I basically pour out everything that happened that terrible year of my life. I'm surprised how easily it came, I can usually never talk about what happened without going mute again. I look back to the folder and turn the page. Turns out the rest of the book is mostly of the car accident. There is a picture of me in the hospital bed, an X-ray of my leg than looks more like a black and white broken up jigsaw puzzle, and few pictures of me at therapy.

"I don't know why my mom has these. It was a bad time in both of our lives, why would my mom want to remember it? I mean, I'm forced to remember it every time I put on my orthosis or whenever I walk. Why would she want to remember it?"

Chloe just tilts her head at me, looking at a picture of me in my chair and a friend I made at therapy playing around on an obstacle course we made to pull our chairs through.

"Maybe she wants to remember it to see how far you've come and how great each new day is." By the end of the sentence she's looking at me with a smile.

I hate to admit it, but she's right. I have come a long way. I look over to her, and give her a hug. We pull away and she starts to smile.

"What are you grinning about?" I ask her.

"I was just thinking about that time we played soccer in youth group, and how you wouldn't play. I made you come to the side with me and kick a ball. You totally showed me up that day, you know?"

I laugh at the memory. "Yeah, I didn't think I was doing that well to be honest. I was just standing there kicking it, and with my left foot. I'm not left foot dominant, you know?"

Chloe's mouth drops, "But you're left handed! How are you not left foot dominant and you still beat me that bad?"

I smirk and say "I never said I was right foot dominant. I was before the accident, but I'm obviously left now."

She playfully smacks my arm and says "I always thought you had an athletic build. But I never thought someone like you could beat me that bad!"

I kind of look at her like 'Seriously? You pulled the cripple card?' and her eyes go wide.

"Beca! I did NOT mean it like that?" _This is too good!_

"So what _did_ you mean by that?" I ask.

She starts to stutter and I start to laugh. "What?!" She exclaims.

"I'm just kidding!" I tell her. "I'm not that harsh about it, especially towards you."

She relaxes and shoves me away from her. "Rebecca Mitchell! Don't play with me like that!"

"Hey! Don't Rebecca me!"

We flip through a few more pictures and then the last picture is of us.

We both smile and I say "At least there's a happy ending to every story."

Chloe's smile gets bigger, and then she starts to joke. "Hey! Who knew Beca was a softie?!"

I shove her and close the folder, with the picture still in my hand.

I sigh and rub my hand through my hair. "I wonder if we will ever be like that again…"

Chloe's face grows grim, and she says "Well, what do you think just happened? I mean, yeah, we know some pretty unnerving stuff about each other now, but that just means we know more about each other. No big deal. I know you were nervous that I would treat you differently, but I promise I will still joke around with you and I won't take it easy on you, trust me! You are still a lot tougher than me and can beat me in anything with that orthosis on or off, but maybe not running."

I laugh at that one, and see the twinkle of an idea in Chloe's eye.

"Now don't go that low on me. Sure you may have some new jokes, but don't mess around with my pride, okay buddy?" I say as sternly as I can to her without laughing.

She starts to laugh and I break, so we burst into a laughing fit. Once the laughing dies down, Chloe starts to say something, but closes her mouth again.

"What was it? It's okay, whatever you have to say, I've basically laid it all out on the table by now, so shoot."

Chloe opens her mouth again, and this time the question comes out. "What happened the other night? You know, with the storm?" _Whoop, there it is._

"What do you mean what happened? You were there."

Chloe nods and says "I know, but why didn't you come with me?"

I remember our little conversation last night after If You Really Knew Me and say "You figured it out already, I couldn't walk because I didn't have my orthosis on."

"Yeah, I know. But why wouldn't you just put it on in front of me?" She asks. I consider lying, but I've told the truth all day today. It's gone well so far, why not give it a shot?

"I didn't want you to find out that way."

Chloe looks confused and asks "What do you mean?"

I look at her and repeat myself, "I didn't want you to find out that way. If I were going to tell you before our exercise, I didn't want you to find out when you were angry and in a panic." She nods.

"Why didn't you just tell me earlier? Like when we first met or sometime after that?"

I look at her with a stern face and say "Same as you... I was ashamed of the past and I didn't want you to think I was weird and run away from me. I wanted to start fresh somewhere where people didn't know about me or the accident."

Chloe hesitates when she says "I'm not going to say I wouldn't have thought you were weird or stopped being friends with you, because back then I was a different person too, but I was also coming from a bad past and I was vulnerable, just like you, and I know you didn't know that but I hope that I would have accepted you for who you were and who you are now. I hope I would have still been your best friend in a different reality where things were different, whether the accident and my abuse didn't happen or whether we both told each other our secrets, and I hope that we can continue to be friends for a long time."

This monologue almost brings me to tears and all I can think to do is hug her. I pull her into the biggest embrace I have ever given, and get back the biggest embrace I have ever received.

Later that night, Chloe stays over for dinner and we watch a movie. After that, I pull out the trundle bed underneath my bed and set it up for Chloe. We get ready for bed in the same room, since we don't have to hide anything anymore, and then sit down to talk some more. This awful sense of Déjà Vu hits me and I remember the night when our secrets were almost revealed to each other. We get out the Jenga game again and start to set it up.

"You know, right now I feel like Professor X and Magneto. You know, when they sit and play chess and just talk about things?" Chloe says.

I'm sort of surprised at Chloe's geek moment. I knew she liked movies, but X-Men doesn't seem like her type.

"First off," I reply, "You've seen X-Men?!" She nods hesitantly. "Second off, I bet you can't even play chess. And third off, why? Because I'm like Professor X and can't walk and you have some kind of past where you have been abused? Not necessarily by Nazis like Magneto and I can actually walk unlike Professor X, but I had to make the reference."

She just chuckles to herself, then something hits me. "Wait, since when has Chloe been a geek?"

She freezes, still holding the block she just pulled out of the tower. The look on her face says it all.

"OH MY GOODNESS! You're a GEEK?!" She looks to the ground and nods. "So I bet you can play chess. Wait, how long have you been a geek?"

Chloe looks up to me with this look of fear in her eyes and says "I've always been a geek. I get straight A's, I love the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises. By the way, they are SO not the same thing. And I actually did place 2nd in a regional youth chess competition." I am in awe.

"How come I never knew this?"

She shakes her head and says "Well, I wanted to start over when I got here, so I just kind of made a new personality for myself." I am just blown away.

"I wish I had known this sooner! There are all kinds of stuff I could have talked to you about that I never talked to you about because I thought there was no way you would have either heard of it or found it entertaining!"

Chloe smirks and says "Sorry, we can have a geek questionnaire later, let just finish this Jegna game!"

We keep talking about random things, and the tension between us slowly disappears. Chloe somehow gets on the topic of music, and she spits out the question "Since when have you been able to sing? I have never heard you sing before this morning!"

I try to think back and I shrug "I don't know. I think it might have started when I was stuck in the hospital. Music really helped me through everything and I guess I just started to sing then."

She nods and then her hand slips so the tower falls.

"Hah! I win!"

Just then I hear a beep from the computer. Chloe jumps up and says "Maybe it's your old friend!"

She brings over the computer and sits down. We pull up the IM and it is her.

**ALLYSON:** **Hey Beca! It's been a while! Of course I remember you, I think about you all the time! I miss you. Where did you go?' Chloe shoves me and says "See?! I told you that they would remember you!**

I decide type back a reply

**BECA: I miss you too. Sorry I haven't really kept in touch. I moved because of my dad's job. He had to pay off some medical bills and moving here gave him a promotion. How's the team?**

It only takes about a minute for her to reply back.

**ALLYSON: Oh that makes sense. I've been doing pretty well, thanks for asking. The team is doing well too! We won state last year, but it wasn't the same without you, I know that much. It's okay for not keeping in touch, I understand. How is your leg by the way? Are you playing soccer again?**

My face must harden, because Chloe asks "Hey, are you okay? That was pretty open and out there."

I give a small smile and say "Yeah, that's just Allyson, she is out there like you." Chloe smirks and I continue typing.

**BECA: I bet y'all were better without me. :) And I've been doing a lot better actually. I can walk on my own without the crutches now, but I can't get rid of the orthosis, so no soccer for me :(**

**ALLYSON: That's fantastic! That stinks about soccer though. You were so good! You definitely had a bright future ahead of you. :)**

This is when I get hesitant and Chloe says "Why don't you end it here, I think that would be for the best."

I nod, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me, and type.

**BECA: Thanks, but I can't change the past. Hey, I have to go, but we should totally video chat sometime. You have to meet my friend Chloe, she is almost exactly like you. Well, I hope to talk to you later! See ya.-B**

I then shut my laptop and Chloe and I sit in silence. Chloe leans over and grabs the folder again, skimming some of the last pictures we looked at. She has a picture of me in physical therapy, and I barely make out what she says next.

"Can I see it?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Bum Bum Bum BUUUMMMM! Here it is! The last chapter (and sadly the shortest). Thank you all for the support when I was updating! This has been an awesome journey taken with y'all and I'm sad it's ending. In the last chapter, I asked if there should be a sequel/prequel. I then realized that I did not have any time at all to write it (I'm about to go to college, so no time for me!). So, if anyone wants to 'adopt' this story or this world, just let me know through a private message! Thanks to all the follows and favorites! No reviews, but let's see if we can get to 30 by Monday of this coming week! Thank you so much to all of you again! - Rubiksmaniac**

Chapter 22

Beca and I play some Jenga and just sit there and talk to each other. Beca's friend eventually IMs back and asks about her leg. I want to see it, but she seems a little on edge from what her friend said, so I don't want to ask right this moment.

I lean over and get the folder and look through some of the pictures again. When I come across a picture of her in physical therapy, I think to myself _can I see it _but I must have said it out loud because I see Beca tense.

I look up at her, expecting her to say no, and what actually comes out of her mouth surprises me.

"Are you sure?"

I hesitate and say "Yeah, I'm sure" in the softest voice I can muster without showing her the fear I possess inside.

She nods, says "Okay", and leans down to pull her pajama pant leg up.

She carefully undoes the orthosis, looking up at me more than once to make sure I still want to do this, and as she starts to pull it off, she stops. She looks up at me once more and I nod at her.

"Go ahead." I say, and she pulls it off slowly. What is underneath is heartbreaking.

There's a leg with barely any meat on it, that is scarred up that is almost beyond recognition. I can't decide if it's a sob or bile running up my throat, but I swallow whatever it is so I don't scare Beca off. She just looks to the ground, ashamed, and her posture looks like she's expecting me to run away.

_I do want to run Beca, but not for the reasons you think. I just don't like seeing you hurt, because it hurts me too. _

I keep myself planted, look up at Beca with tears in my eyes, and look back down at her leg. I trace every scar with my finger, being careful not to hurt her, even though subconsciously I know she can barely feel it. She looks up at me with a look in her eyes that I can only place as shame. I've never seen that on her face before.

She catches my eyes just as a tear starts to fall. She brings up her thumb and wipes it off. She then does something I don't expect. She reaches her thumb up to my left eyebrow and wipes off the makeup covering my scar.

She gives me a sad smile and says "There, now we're twins." I let out a tiny chuckle and look back down to her leg.

As more tears start to fall, she pulls me into a giant hug and that's when my walls fall down. I sob into her shoulder, getting her shirt wet nonetheless, and she pulls me out of the embrace.

"Hey, what's the matter? I'm fine now. You don't have to worry about me leaving you."

I wipe away some of my tears and say "I just don't like seeing you hurt, Beca."

She rubs my arm and says "It doesn't even hurt, I can barely feel it, you know."

"Not what I meant, Beca. I'm just not used to seeing you so…vulnerable. You've always been the normal one that has kept me rooted. You have always been the super cool, super chill stone wall that has held me up for so long. I just don't know why I never thought that you could be vulnerable too, because you were always the strong hearted one that didn't care what others thought about you."

Beca looks up me and grabs my hand to get my attention.

"If I didn't care about what people thought of me, why would I have kept this a secret for so long? Especially from my best friend. I wanted to be normal too, just like you, but now we can be crazies together."

Beca pulls me into another embrace and we stay that way for few more minutes.

Beca pulls away first and says "Okay, enough of this mushy-gushy stuff. How about we watch The Hunger Games? You can make as many Beca/Peeta references as you want, and I will be sure to point out your scar when Katniss gets cut by Clove on her forehead!"

I chuckle and say "I didn't even think about you being like Peeta that way until you said it, and I'd much rather watch something else. What about something like Gattaca? Do you have it?"

Beca gives me a huge smile and scoots herself over to her bookshelf since she doesn't have her orthosis on.

"I've been wanting to show you this movie for years."

She then holds up three versions to me, "Blu-Ray, DVD, or Extended Cut?"

I point to the last one and say "Extended Cut, duh!" I toss her the orthosis and she puts it on.

We go downstairs and watch Gattaca. We laugh and cry and it feels nice to be all nerdy with her. When the movie ends, we go upstairs to her room, because it's 10 o'clock, and get ready for bed.

Beca sits on her bed, takes off her orthosis, and crawls under the covers. I make sure all my makeup is off, and lay down on the trundle bed.

Beca says "Goodnight Chloe, thanks for a fun day."

"Goodnight Beca. And thank you…for everything."

Even though I can't see her, I know she is smiling to herself. I push my side-bangs aside and run a finger over my scar.

The relief I am filled with tells me that every story might just have a happy ending after all.


End file.
